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SFA Baily Test 3

Terms in this set (43)

Why do American's think voting is important?
they see it as a civic duty, key to maintaining popular control of govt.
why are the costs of voting so high?
frequency of elections
why has the mobilization of american voters declined in the 20th century?
the decline of american party organizations
In majority systems what must candidates receive in order to win a district?
50%+1
In plurality systems what must candidates receive in order to win an election?
The most votes
In proportional representation how many seats are awarded for a particular geographic area?
Multiple
In proportional representation what percentage of seats do each party get?
proportional to the percentage of the votes it recieves
What are most American electoral systems?
Single member district
what is an constituency?
a body of voters in a specified area who elect a representative to a legislative body
What purposes that there is a systematic correlation between SMPD and two party systems?
Duverger's Law
what suppresses third party candidates
Single member district
What tends accentuates the importance of geographical district?
Majority and plurality electoral systems
What is the process of drawing election districts?
Re-districting
What influences voters decisions?
partisan loyalty, issues, and candidate characteristics
When a voter votes on how a candidate might perform in the future that is called what?
prospective voting
When a voter votes on a candidates and parties past performance that is called what?
retrospective voting
What characteristics of a candidate affect the individual vote choice?
Decisiveness, Honesty, and vigor
The rise of media-centered political environment weakens what?
political parties
what was the first comprehensive effort by the Federal govt. to regulate campaign contributions and spending?
Buckley vs. valeo
What is it called when political parties elect their members to office to try to control the government?
Electioneering
What makes political parties possible?
The first amendment
what is a parties reason for existence?
Electioneering
what is a interest groups main goal?
lobbying
T/F The founding fathers of the constitution anticipated and wanted political parties
False
Who founded the modern day Democrats?
Jefferson
The Republican party was a result of the downfall of what political party?
The whigs
T/F State parties intertwine with national parties
Fasle
T/F state and national parties deal with common issues but are separate organizations
True
T/F Texas is a competitive state
False
T/F Today's dominant Republicans resemble old (dominant) Democrats
True
When a new party supplants the ruling party and becomes the dominant party, that is called what?
Electoral Realignment
What are reasons that third parties tend to be short lived?
major parties adopt issues, SMPD limits success, or issues are addressed by public policies
The degree of control that a party's leadership has over its legislature
Party discipline
What did Madison say was the solution to negative effects of majority factions and aides the interest of the public good?
increasing the variety of factions
A theory that all interests are, and should be, free to compete for influence in the government
Pluralism
What is the outcome of pluralism?
compromise and moderation
What do pluralists say interest groups represent?
diverse interests in society
IBT and SEIU are examples of what?
labor unions
Who argued that incentives exist for individuals to shirk their responsibilities to contribute to the public good?
Mancur Olson
To let others invest time, energy, and money to get the policy passed is called?
Free-riding
What gives individuals an incentive to join an interest group?
Selective benefits
to seek to cultivate access to officials to influence administrative rule making and the details of policy implementation
Lobbying
Federalism, separation of powers and lack of party discipline offers multiple points of access for these groups
Formal institutions
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