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POLS 207 CH.6-8
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| % of Americans that seek public office | less than 1% |
| democratic elections are considered | safety valve |
| safety valve | democratic elections as being a way to release strong opinions w/o violence |
| referendum | allows citizens to approve or reject proposals passed by state legislatures |
| mandatory legislative referendums | 23 states (mostly W----not TX), required to enact or reject constitutional amendments and certain statutory laws proposed by state legislatures----voters have final say |
| optional legislative referendum | all states allow, where legislative bodies reassign decisions they could make themselves to voters-----some are only advice from voters |
| initiative | process that allows citizens to enact a proposal of a new law or constitutional amendment by petition----24 states (W coast & midwest--not TX) |
| direct democracy of initiative & referendum was adopted in | early 20th century |
| referendums are fairly | rare compared to initiatives |
| roll-off | voting only for the top of ticket w presidency and less voting done at the bottom of ticket |
| straw polls | advisory polls from citizens; non-binding (only states and local) |
| TX has no | initiative |
| initiative has not proven to be | a viable form of democracy useable in large democracies |
| rational activist model | active involvement in gathering info & participating; rationally supporting candidates they agree w |
| most presidential-election years, the greatest voter participation is for | governor-----2% higher than turnout for presidential election |
| lower voting turnout in | off year elections (no president elections) |
| absentee vote | voting by mail; one-third less expensive and little fraud; does not increase voting turnout |
| cumulative elections | city council & school board elections; supposed to help the minority; voters can give more than 1 vote to a single candidate, if they want they can give al their votes to a single candidate----not well known voting system |
| 26th amendment | 18+ citizens can vote |
| today, all states req. ppl to be | citizens and residents |
| all states don't allow felons to vote except | Vermont and Maine |
| voting age pop. turnout | number of voters/pop. old enough to vote (18+) |
| voting age pop. turnout is considered | not as accurate or useful anymore bc 1. # of non-citizens (legal & illegal) has increased [part of voting age pop. but cannot vote] 2. # of felons not allowed to vote has increased *overstates potential voters & underestimates turnout rates |
| voting eligible pop. | subtracting from VAP the non-citizens and felons who are old enough to vote but legally can't |
| VET will always be | higher than VAT bc its a smaller pool |
| % VAP excluded in VEP recently TX | 16% |
| largest excluded group of VAP in most states | non-citizens |
| 4 factors that account for U.S. decrease in voting turnout | 1. lack of party-group linkage 2. registration restrictions 3. no penalty for not voting 4. voter exhaustion |
| solution to lack of party-linkages | abandon winner-take-all system and switch to proportional rep. --->multiple minority parties |
| rationally voting | supporting candidate who most has beliefs similar to yours |
| ideal voting preparedness | 1. be informed and form opinion 2. research candidates 3. chose rationally betw. candidates 4. vote also based on unanticipated issues---who will vote similarly to what you would want in the future |
| voting registration | discourages participation |
| national voter registration act of 1993 | "motor voter law" req. states to have voter registration materials available at state offices w high citizen traffic however they didn't have to be displayed or promoted by workers |
| exhausted voters | americans tired by # of times they must go to polls to vote so lower turnout (school board, city council, county, state, and nation) |
| convenience-voting procedures | mail voting, no excuse needed absentee voting, early voting, election-day registration----does not increase voting and worse performance in the aggregate |
| recent efforts to discourage voting | photo ID (cost $ and travel and effort even tho card is free---affects poor & minorities) + TX intentional discrimination by drawing electoral district maps |
| nonpartisan elections | more than 90% of local elections & many elections of state judges (no party affiliation on ticket----part of machine reform) |
| avg. turnout in presidential elections | approach or exceed 50% |
| turnout for state elections in off years | ~40% |
| local gov election | ~avg. 26% & usually happens during off years and no governor election |
| greater turnout benefits | 1. improved legitimacy---voluntarily obey decisions by fairy elected ppl 2. better correspondence betw. public opinion and public policy |
| possible causes of turnout | when elections are held, issue being contested |
| turnout is less related to | competition betw, parties |
| turnout is more related to | demographics (income, race, ), high school completion, and voter registration |
| George Washington warned against | factions (political parties) |
| 1st PP | federalists---organize to ratify constitution; after didn't want to stoop to win votes became irrelevant |
| legislative organization | PP organize within legislative body to pass laws----always easier to DEFEAT BILLS THAN PASS THEM |
| after election, first task of PP is to | manage the efforts of their members in the legislature |
| electoral organization | PP activities regarding appealing to voters in order to win office |
| jefferson republicans | purpose was to resist central gov idea of federalists; Anti-Federalists; unorganized before loss; 2nd U.S. PP bur 1st to organize to win elections & in halls of gov. (prototype of modern PP)---modern D PP |
| civil war | republican north & democratic south |
| machine parties typically called themselves | D part (no tie w D South party)---local |
| nixon's southern strategy | R occupy white house---Southern D become R |
| causes of current hyper-partisanship | 1. max. of party power control of election districts w GERRYMANDERING 2. inc. partisan electronic & broadcast media 3. reduction of bipartisan cooperation & centralization of power in congress 4. primaries |
| gerrymandering | give substantial advantage to majority; protect incumbents; |
| new media | before: neutral print & broadcast news now: biased news (especially C) |
| core voters | hyper-partisanship; reinforce preexisting beliefs w biased media |
| why we only have 2 major PP | less divisive as opposed to several major PP; good fortune: dealing w 1 decisive issue at a time; institutional factors: winner-takes-all (single-member elected); primaries: 3rd parties don't usually have primaries (have to petition to nominate) |
| why we only have 2 major PP pt.2 | party ID: runs in fam. & 3rd party does not (would have to turn as adults); settlement from England: english heritage---reduced catholic influence |
| decrease leaning | D |
| increasing leaning | R |
| but more lean _____ vs less lean _____ | D & R |
| states regulations have | weakened party control |
| how have states weakened party control | 1. req. primaries: |
| 5 state laws that regulate PP | 1. define membership (register D or R) 2. define formal party org. (chairman & committee) 3. allow or deny access to state election ballot based on support 4. provide procedure for nominating candidates & primaries 5. restricting/providing $ |
| legislative caucuses | constituents have little say, PP legislative elected leaders pick the nominee |
| party conventions | replaced legislative caucuses; gave more power to party members; criticized for being closed to public & decisions still being made behind closed doors |
| primary election | ultimate reform; public picks nominee |
| TX primary | open primary |
| 2 key dimensions that define primary election systems | 1. ballot form: 3 states (all candidates for all parties listed); 46 states (list only the candidate for one party) 2. |
| two-round election | Louisiana; candidate who win majority in 1st round win offices---when theres no majority, the top 2 finishers run against each other in a second round ( possible to have top 2 from same party) |
| top two system | washington & california; purpose to choose candidates to contest for general election (can be from same party) |
| direct primary system | 47 other states; 2 choices: whether choice of party ballot is made before or during primary & whether it will be open or closed |
| high VEP primary election turnout in | 2008 & 2016 presidential election (obama vs clinton & trump vs clinton) |
| open primary | 22 states: choice of party ballot is private and choice is made at primary---receive party ballots from both parties and choose which one to vote on |
| closed primary | 11 states: registration by PP is in advance and info is public; commitment at registration is binding; only those who register & choose a party can vote in primary |
| semi-closed primary | 10 states; registered must vote for what they chose but unaffiliated have a choice |
| primary election candidates must win top two elections are held when | no candidate receives req plurality or majority |
| primary election candidates must win | majority in 11 states (mostly Southern states) |
| general election turnout > | primary election turnout |
| primary election voters are in | smaller numbers & more extreme in their views |
| little evidence that voting for the | opposition helps one's party |
| incumbents more likely to be defeated by | challenger of same party during primary than opposition party during general |
| responsible party system | in Britain but not U.S (low turnout--no vote = no consequence); clear stands, select candidates that support them, educate ppl on positions, remove those that don't support, org. in gov. to pass laws on those stands |
| PP strength | stronger in the past (before WW2) & weaker when compared to today |
| new-style politics | media-based;negative ads (swift boat); branding; associating opponent candidate with a famous unpopular person for opposition |
| swift boating | turning candidate's strength to a weakness; john kerry---war hero but was criticized and questioned on whether he truly was |
| bipartisan campaign reform act | 2002; candidates req. to say their name in the ad; feel good ad = start; negative ad = end |
| straight ticket voting | can vote for one PP for all offices; has declined in ability only 8 states have this option (incl. TX) bc less commitment to PP than in the past |
| interparty competition | is at a low point |
| southern states have | lower turnout than northern states |
| r.ship between interparty competition and turnout is | spurious |
| interparty competition only increased when | southern democrats changed to republicans |
| general election turnout is not strongly related to | partisan election results (house & senate) or state/local policies (welfare, tax burden, revenue, expenditure, etc.) |
| little evidence suggests that competition influences | policies |
| inter party competition (TURNOUT) and accurate R rep. in House | 0.56; more voters of a PP means more officials of that PP elected |
| inter party competition (TURNOUT) and % of VAP registered to vote | 0.41; more voters registered means more voting turnout |
| local gov. competition is | decreasing |
| positively related turnout w | registration rate and and more accurate rep. of partisan preferences in House members |
| republican controlled related to | lower PC state & local debt, tax burden, medicaid expenses paid, edu. spending per child + higher incarceration rates & rates of new prisoners |
| party control more strongly related to | state & local policies |
| turnout and interparty competition are not related to | state & local policies |
| turnout of general is not related to | interparty competition or policies |
| interparty competition is not related to | policies |
| interests groups | seek to influence public policy not run for office; don't need to be visible and public like PP |
| PP active | during elections |
| interest groups active | in between elections to influence public policy |
| lobbying will accomplish | not always sympathy but will get 1. access 2. recognition |
| citizens united v. federal elections commission | 2010: no limit to what interest groups can contribute to campaign & intro of Dark Money |
| Dark Money | political spending meant to influence voters' decision where donor & source are unknown; increasing gaps in understanding how each dollar is spent on campaign |
| interest groups overrepresent | white, wealthy, educated men & businesses |
| in most states, the most effective interest groups are | 1. general business orgs 2. chamber of commerce 3. bankers association 4.manufacturers' groups |
| interest groups actually | oppose rather than support equal rep. since the groups w the most means tend to be the most powerful and influential |
| efforts to control interest groups | 1. bribery is illegal (but in many states candidates can pocket leftover campaign $) 2. registration (membership, budget, officers, chosen bills to speak about--accessible to pub. ) |
| PACs | increased in number and influence & arrivals to PP |
| midwest and northeast have | the weakest interest groups |
| top 3 most influential interest groups | 1. general business 2. schoolteachers 3. utility |
| PP have weakened bc of | 1. primaries 2. new-style campaigns (media) finically supported by interest groups |
| interest groups seem to be ________ & PP seem to be _______ | strengthening vs. weakening |
| interest group effect on public policy | comprehensive data says minimal effect; stories & case studies say the opposite |
| % of americans that see local gov as ______ | 63% as favorably |
| % of americans see state gov as _____ | 57% as favorably |
| % of americans see fed gov as ______ | 28% as favorably |
| % that trust local gov | 72% |
| % that trust state gov | 62% |
| % that trust federal gov | 38% |
| % that local gov finances w own money for activities | 68% |
| % local gov revenue directly from federal gov | 4% |
| % local gov revenue from state gov | 27% |
| services of municipal gov | 1. police 2. fire 3. roads 4. sewage |
| local gov usually sole providers of utilities bc | 1. start up costs so expensive so no profit until decades later 2. ppl trust gov to handle necessities than private sector |
| financial link between local gov and private sector is | poorly recognized (sometimes gov will hire out private sector for road construction, etc.) |
| most complex level of gov | local gov |
| oldest local gov | counties |
| all states except _____________ have counties | connecticut |
| oldest form of municipal gov | mayor/council |
| policy-making by competition | law that gets approved by both executive and legislative branches of city gov |
| mayor/council city gov is the | most common |
| municipal reform movement | formed independent school districts & council/manager local gov |
| town meeting % & mostly in ____ ___________ | <4% of municipalities & New England |
| school districts called independent bc | no longer part of city gov |
| independent school districts are _________ bc | decreasing bc they're consolidating |
| hawaii | single statewide school district |
| school districts w higher tax rates spent _________ per enrolled student | less |
| special districts are | increasing |
| short ballot reform | strong mayor/council gov bc they could appoint ppl instead of having to be elected on ballot |
| at-large election | city-wide election; disadvantaged minorities bc they had to win other districts that didnt have minorities |
| cities that use at-large elections | 66% |
| cities that use district elections | 17% |
| cities that use both at-large and district | 17% |
| larger cities tend to have ______ elections | at-large |
| incorporation | when rural areas form new municipalities to provide services that cities do |
| annex | discouraged in other states (but TX does it); large cities take over smaller areas |
| does a democracy need a constitution? | no |
| what makes a democracy | 1. freedom of speech 2. voting 3. elections |
| the more impact on public policy | the less ppl participate |
| nonparticipant (apart from presidential elections) | >60% |
| vote for elected offices | indirect democracy (10-60% depending on election type) |
| initiative and referendum | direct democracy (20-50%) |
| attend public meetings | 3-20% (has increased) |
| uncertain | protesters |
| run for election | less than 1% |
| ________ was how weed was legalized in some states | initiative |
| ACA was a result of | ppl in debt (bankrupt) bc of high medical costs |
| being _______ is more dangerous than being _________ | misinformed; uninformed |
| states w referendum do/have | 1. direct democracy 2. ppl vote to remove laws 3. W. states |
| states w initiative do/have | 1. ppl write in 2. W. states mostly 3. direct democracy |
| participants | special |
| nonparticipants | commoners |
| rational voters will | know who they are voting of and leave blank who they don't know |
| VEP will yield | higher turnout than VAP bc basing off a smaller pop. |
| highest turnout election is for | governor in presidential years |
| second highest turnout election is for | president |
| TX non voting % | >50% dont vote |
| bowling alone (book) | how sense of community is eroding; ppl don't have bowling groups anymore |
| cost of voting seems | bigger than actual benefits 1. time consuming (poorer places have less machines = longer lines) 2. having to get info 3. missing work |
| only voting benefit | satisfaction if civic duty & if you don't feel civic duty you wont vote |
| why do americans vote less today | 1. lack of party group linkage 2. registration restrictions [photo ID] (state controlled--have dec. in past yrs.) 3. non-mandatory voting 4. voter exhaustion (have to vote for mult offices) |
| educated black will vote ______ than educated whites bc ________ | more; they can value the right they did not have before |
| why don't texans vote? | 1. political & gender socialization (only me belong in gov.; traditionalistic) 2. gerrymandering to favor incumbents (so why vote?) 3. parties are weak 4. turnout inc. when parties are competitive & org. |
| voting levels in texas are | below national level |
| when there is a strong single party | voter turnout is low bc there is no competition so you don't vote for your candidate bc you already know they will lose or you don't vote bc you already know they will win |
| best predictor for turnout | education |
| factors associated w turnout | 1. SES 2. interparty competition 3. tradition/culture 4. legal reqs. 5. election issues |
| Asian americans aren't _____ _______ even tho they are _____ _______ so they don't have a ______ turnout | politically socialized; most educated; high |
| poll tax is now | illegal |
| registration barriers are | acceptable as long as states don't do a due burden on ppl |
| civil liberties = | BOR (RIGHTS) |
| grandfather clause | voting discriination; if your grandfather didnt vote you can't either |
| 15th amendment | minorities can vote; but technically not needed bc all CITIZENS can vote |
| croatians wont | support wars anymore bc understand it is the elite who lead them to it w lies and nationalism |
| PP constituent function | select candidates; formal process governed by state & fed law; support candidate primarily after primary |
| PP information function | develop a program & educate public on it; set beliefs nearly comprehensive; policy goals & programs for gov. |
| PP government function | winner organizes gov.; legislature caucus & get committee assignments by party; governor appoints supporters by party; judges tend vote together |
| PP are active during | elections |
| interest groups: constituent function | dont select candidate, only support; support during primaries; can & do support both contestants for same office (PP doesn't matter); support after election common in TX |
| interest groups: information function | beliefs not necessarily comprehensive in scope; limited policy preferences; primary target is group members rather than whole public |
| interest groups: gov. function | do not organize government; provide info & organize for specific policy goals |
| interest groups are active | in between elections |
| civil war | north was anti-slavery & republican; south was pro-slavery & democratic (N ppl moved S during reconstruction & were elected by A.A. so republican south) |
| realignment | democrats start changing w New Deal; A.A. still loyal to republican party bc New Deal did not benefit them |
| unequal application | New Deal did not benefit blacks since most were domestic and farmhand workers (no social security) so they stayed loyal to republican party |
| radican reconsrtuctionists | wanted to punish S by not allowing ex-confederates to vote |
| brown vs BOE | 1955: "separate but equal" is UNFAIR |
| NAACP used | legal means to get rights |
| civil rights on | moral epiphany |
| JFK bailing MLK Jr out of jail & MLK Sr. talking to black ppl about it caused | the 1st time blacks voted largely democratic party----realignment |
| JFK in dallas 1964 to | gather support for CRA among southern democrats |
| asian americans in general tend to be | democratic |
| women more likely to be | democratic |
| women have made the | highest advancement in society |
| U.S. only developed country w | no maternity paid leave |
| previously discriminated are most likely | democrats (social justice) |
| military supporting & anti-communism more likely | republican (cubans bc they were previously under communism) |
| vietnamese are considered | republican bc anti-communism |
| vietnamese-chinese are considered | democratic bc they were discriminated against by the Vietnamese when they lived with them |
| jews are mostly | democrats |
| hyperpartisanship caused by | 1. PP control of election districts the gerrymandering 2. inc. of partisan media & broadcast 3. dec. bipartisan co-op & centralization of power in Cong. 4. primary elections 5. lack of local competition |
| there are more ____ than _____ in the country | democrats; republicans |
| more _____ are in control bc _____ have _____ __________ & ______________ occurs | republicans; democrats have low turnout & gerrymandering happens in favor of republicans |
| democrats have _______ and republicans have _________ | decreased; increased |
| why only 2 major PP | 1. dualism (pro or anti something) 2. winner-take-all 3. primary elections 4. PP ID 5. english heritage |
| divergev's law | if representative system is proportional you will end up with multiple PP but if not you will end up with 2 PP |
| primary election systems | 1. closed primary (have to be registered under PP) 2. open primary 3. semi-closed (rational voting; not always straight ticket) 4. top 2 (can be from same PP) |
| TX has an ______primary | open |
| primary voting is ________ when no incumbent is running bc _________ | higher bc when incumbent is running they are already the nominee so low turnout |
| what matters more in determining turnout | region (N = high turnout; S = low turnout) |
| interparty competition in TX | very low bc one-party state; voting pop. matches gov. rep. (accurate rep.) |
| republican control & tax burden correlation | r = -0.31; tax decreases as more republicans are in power |
| republican control & long term debt correlation | r = -0.64; long term debt decreases as republican power expands |
| republican control & education spending per child correlation | r = -0.47; less educational spending per child as republicans gain control |
| republican control & medicaid paid by state & local gov correlation | r = -0.31; less medicaid is paid by state & local gov as more republicans are in control |
| prisoners per 100,000 & republican control correlation | r = 0.49; more prisoners per 100,000 as more republican control gov |
| republican control & new prisoners per 100,000 correlation | r = 0.30; more prisoners as republicans gain control |
| TX is a strong ________ state | enforcement (big rate of prisoners per 100,000 & new prisoners------bc republican) |
| there is not a decline in party affiliation but a decline in | ppl labelling themselves as strong partisans |
| does the U.S have a responsible party system? | no 1. PP can't completely control nominations, campaign financing, or members' adherence to party platform 2. no clear policy consequences |
| assets of interest groups | 1. large #s 2. wealth 3. status |
| activities of interest groups | 1. electioneering: get members to vote, elect friends, defeat enemies 2. lobbying: sharing info & talking to gov. 3. propagandizing public for support |
| clinton brady bill | wanted to illegalize assault rifles so NRA stopped financing the people that voted for the bill to pass |
| PACs can _________ for candidates but not ____________ with them | advertise; coordinate |
| PACs are created by | individuals |
| TX is in the ___ ___ for the most _______________ | top 3; lobbyists rep. E, insurance, bank, real estate, and healthcare industry |
| interests groups send money_________ legislators | entertaining (w parties, award ceremonies, lunches, etc.) |
| ________ ________ is the best way to access legislators | contributing money |
| total local gov | 90,000 |
| total counties | 3,000 (constant) |
| municipalities-cities | 19,000 (slight INCREASE & constant) |
| townships | 17,000 (E. coast ~CONSTANT) |
| school districts | 15,000 (has DECREASED even tho pop has decreased bc school districts CONSOLIDATE) |
| special districts | 37,000 (INCREASED); hospitals, higher education institutions |
| pop. & local gov correlation | r = 0.57; TX UPPER RIGHT (bc large pop.-----more gov than predicted [ironic bc want small gov]---opposite for CA [also ironic] |
| local gov own source revenue | 1. property tax 2. charges & misc. 3. utility revenue 4. sales tax 5. insurance tax |
| local gov (counties, cities, school districts, special districts) expenditures | 1. K12 education 2. environment & housing 3. public safety 4. transportation 5. utilities 6. hospitals |
| county government | oldest form of gov; enforce state laws; keep state records; collect taxes; conduct state elections |
| TX commmission court | legislative body not criminal court elected by precinct |
| TX voters vote for | judge (presides over commission court), sheriff, county clerk, attorney, treasurer |
| TX voters voter for _______ and _________ depending on precinct | justice of the peace & constable |
| TX commission court appoints | multiple road crews (inefficient & expensive) |
| cooperatives | when road crews share materials expenses decrease, but only ~10% of counties do this |
| precincts are divided up by ________ & used to be divided up by ______ | pop.; road mileage |
| county revenue | 1. >50% property tax 2. grants (state & fed---intergovermental) 3. fines (current charges) 4. licenses and fees (current charges) |
| county budget | 1. 50% law enforcement 2. 10-30% roads 3. 10% health & welfare |
| county expenditures | 1. health & welfare 2. public safety 3. general gov & other 4. interest 5. transp. 6. housing |
| municipal gov: council/manager | 50% |
| municipal gov: council/mayor | 41% |
| municipal gov: town meeting | 6% |
| municipal gov: commission | 3% |
| council manager | voters ---->(elect) council---->(hire) city manager |
| council/manager becomes _______ when city grows | inefficient |
| weak mayor/council | mayor has same power as a council person |
| strong mayor/council | appointment & removal powers; more formal powers |
| council/mayor | voters (elect)---->council + mayor + other officials ----> mayor (appoints)--->other officials (ex. city manager---houston) |
| town meeting | voters--->elected officials & town meeting----->hire ppl for public policy |
| commission | galveston (failed); voters--->commission--->hire/assign ppl |
| problem commission | each commissioner gets to rotate assignment & never complete it = inefficient |
| council/manager preferable for | 25,000-250,000 ppl |
| council/mayor | larger cities |
| city gov revenue | 1. utilities 2. current charges 3. property tax 4. grants (state & fed---intergov.) |
| city gov expediture | 1. utilities 2. public safety (police, etc.) 3. transp. 4. housing, parks, environ. 5. interest (payment on loans--NRG stadium) |
| median fam. income & city taxes PC | r = 0.40; more salary means higher taxes |
| A.A pop. and council | r = 0.76; more black ppl in pop. means more black ppl in council |
| toll roads | special districts |
| why do we have special districts? | inadequacy of est. gov.; too expensive, too big of a problem for one city or county to take care of |
Created by:
daisy98
Popular American Government sets