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Exam 2
American National Government; App State; Professor Ardoin
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How informed are most Americans with regard to politics? Which Americans are most informed? | Most Americans are not well informed because of a weak understanding of legal situations. Wealthy white politicians are more informed or more passionate people. |
| How do political leaders (government) shape public opinion? | Creating tension they won’t necessarily meet every requirement of every voter which leads to disagreements. |
| How does the media shape public opinion? | The media is able to portray public events in a way that convinces people to have a different opinion than what is necessarily factual. |
| How do private groups shape public opinion? | Private groups prey on the interests of the public. |
| What is the delegate view of political representation? | Political reps should function primarily as a conduit for constituent preference acting in direct response to what voters explicitly express they want. |
| What is the trustee view of political representation? | Representatives should carefully consider constituent concerns while exercising independent judgement about politics that will best serve the long-term interests of their constituents and the nation. |
| What impact do our families and schools have on our political values/beliefs? | Families shape your political beliefs by teaching you as a child what they personally believe is right and wrong. Education shapes political beliefs by creating norms and teaching the youth about government. |
| What are some of the challenges of measuring public opinion? (Random samples, question wording, issues of intensity) | Random population sample in order for poll to be accurate. Minimizes selection bias. Polls fail to capture how strongly respondents feel. Changes in wording influence the results of voters’ answers. Achieving a truly random sample is way hard. |
| Why is public opinion considered essential to the legitimacy of democratic government, and how do politicians behave as if it matters? | Public opinion helps politicians understand public preferences and adjust their positions to certain issues accordingly. |
| Who votes and who doesn't vote? Among those who do vote, what factors influence voters' decisions in elections? | Older, wealthier, perhaps on salary, people vote more than younger, poorer, hourly wage people. People who vote are influenced by the media, socialization, and family views. |
| According to cost-benefit analysis, what are the main costs and benefits of voting, and how do they influence whether individuals decide to participate? | The main costs of voting are registering to vote, becoming informed, and voting. The benefits are the probability that your vote matters and fulfilling a civic duty to vote. |
| Why might low political participation be considered a problem in a democracy, and what arguments exist against encouraging all citizens to vote? | Low political participation means the public is not having their views accurately represented. Your vote doesn’t matter due to things like the electoral college which some believe is no longer / has never been truly representative. |
| How does voting participation in America compare to other countries? What explains the differences? Are Americans less engaged? | America is way lower than other countries and Americans are just lazier than other countries. Also since we have the electoral college and not a popular vote, people don’t think their vote will matter. |
| Be able to discuss how election laws impact voter turnout and who votes. | Things like Absentee ballots are available in some states which make it easier to vote for people who likely wouldn’t otherwise. The absence of these things and presence of other policies like voter ID laws can affect people who are unlikely to vote. |
| What is meant by the statement: Voting Laws are about Politics, not Democracy! | Voting laws are in place to inherently deter minorities and poor people from voting. |
| What is the primary focus of contemporary campaigns (turnout)? Why don’t campaigns focus more on attracting voters to their candidates? | The primary purpose is to call people to action (to get them to vote). Campaigns know who is likely to vote for them and who isn’t so they campaign accordingly i.e. going for independents. |
| What is the most important factor to know when trying to predict an individual's vote choice? | People typically vote with the party they identify with so their party ID. |
| What is the most important factor to know when trying to predict an individual’s partisanship? | Family and education level are important to know an individual’s partisanship. |
| How do political parties differ from interest groups, and what are the three main components of a political party? | A team seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election. 3 main parts: party in the electorate, party as an organization, and party in government. |
| What are the primary tasks of political parties? | Recruit and train candidates, parties run / assist in campaigns, parties give cues to voters and help candidates win office through mobilizing the electorate, propose policies and form majorities to pass |
| Why might political scientists argue that basing your vote on a candidate’s partisan identification is more rational than voting based on a candidate’s individual characteristics? | Because this is more likely to align with your beliefs than their individual characteristics which may be different from yours and give less info. Gives a shortcut to candidates' general beliefs. |
| What factors influence our partisanship? How does our partisanship impact our politics? | Family, education, socialization, etc. Partisanship determines who you are likely to vote for and which political party you will identify with or if you will identify with neither major political party. |
| Why do we have a two-party system in America or rather, why don’t we have multiple political parties in America? What are the advantages and disadvantages of a two party system? | Single member, winners take all districts. Second and third place get nothing. Easier for voters to understand because they can either pick A or B. America’s beliefs are not accurately represented because you only agree with pieces of a party platform. |
| What roles do third parties play in American politics despite rarely winning elections, and what structural barriers limit their success? | Spoilage effect where even if they don't win, they take votes from one of the main candidates from either of the two major parties. Single member winners take all districts. |
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