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Poli Sci Exam 2
study guide terms WSU poli sci 101
65
Political Studies
Undergraduate 2
10/29/2011

Additional Political Studies Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Australian Ballot
Definition
Voter's choice is anonymous
Term
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA)
Definition
Banned soft money
Term
Buckley vs. Valeo
Definition
Upheld a federal law which limits campaign contributions (constitutional to spend own money to influence)
Term
Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission
Definition
1st amendment prohibits government from censoring political broadcasts
Term
Disadvantage Theory
Definition
disadvantaged interest groups are more likely to turn to litigation (the court system) then to legislative or executive strategies 
Term
Duverger's Law
Definition
Plurality rule election system tends to favor a two party system
Term
Electronic Media
Definition
Electronic Media, ie - radio, tv, internet
Term
Elitism (theory of interest groups)
Definition
real political power in the hands of the elite; closed system of interest controlled by few
Term
Exit Poll
Definition
poll of voters immediately after they vote to get a sample of who they voted for
Term
Fairness Doctrine (and the FCC's repeal of it)
Definition
Media had to give equal time to both parties - effect of repeal- explosion of talk radio shows 
Term
Federal Election Campaign Act (1972 and 1974 Amendments)
Definition
limits how much a candidate can spend, and limits spending on advertisements
Term
Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to life
Definition
Sued over day limits regarding campaign adds
Term
Free Rider
Definition
getting the benefits of the interest group without contributing 
Term
Gender Gap (in voting)
Definition

breakdown of voting percentages of men and women- Two main things:

1. men are becoming more conservative

2. women are less likely to support force

Term
Hard Money
Definition
campaign contributions given directly to the candidate
Term
Interest Group
Definition
organized group that influences policy and shares common objectives 
Term
Malapportionment
Definition
unequal representation for a given voter
Term
Mass Media
Definition
all media technologies 
Term
Office Block Ballot
Definition
listed by office, rather than party 
Term
Outside vs. Inside Interest Group Strategies
Definition

Outside - demonstrations, strikes

Inside - Lobbying 

Term
Partisan Bias in Media
Definition
Liberal Bias - not actually found - loser bias found
Term
Partisan Dealignment
Definition
when voters detatch themselves from their party
Term
Partisan Identification 
Definition
parties with which individuals identify themselves
Term
Partisan Realignment 
Definition
Major shift in political identification by voters
Term
Party Platform 
Definition
lists of actions the party supports and presents to the general public 
Term
Party-Column Ballot
Definition
where candidates are arranged by party on the ballot 
Term
Pluralism (theory of interest groups)
Definition
power divided amongst a large array of groups - groups will tend to form as a reaction to the formation of other groups 
Term
Plurality Voting (or single-member plurality district voting SMPD)
Definition
a single winner voting system 
Term
Political Party 
Definition
a group that organizes to win office and they do things in government - all about politics 
Term
Political Socialization
Definition
study of how children derive their political views 
Term
Primary Election (open vs. closed)
Definition

Open - where you can vote in either primary's party

Closed - only party members

Term
Print Media
Definition
Newspapers, Magazines
Term
Proportional Representation 
Definition
Try to reproduce into a representative body of the proportions of the different parts of the constituents
Term
Push Poll 
Definition
to push voters to forcefully in one way or another (john McCain's black child)
Term
Random Sample 
Definition
best way to sample, everyone has an equal chance of being drawn 
Term
Rational Choice (Mancur Olson's theory of interest groups)
Definition
interest groups must offer incentives/benefits to gain/retain members
Term
Redistricting 
Definition
process of drawing US electoral boundaries
Term
Reynolds v. Sims and Baker v. Carr
Definition
1st cases dealing with malapportionment and it being unconstitutional 
Term
Selection Bias in Media
Definition
media can choose which issues are covered and presented to the public
Term
Social Media
Definition
Facebook, Twitter 
Term
Soft Money
Definition
Money donated to political campaign or party 
Term
Sound Byte
Definition
Short, incredibly powerful segments of audio 
Term
Straw Poll
Definition
Unofficial ballot to test opinion
Term
Surge and Decline Hypothesis 
Definition
at midterm election, the current president's party loses seats in the house
Term
The "Great Debates"
Definition
The first televised debates
Term
What are the agents of political socialization? Which one is the most important?
Definition

Media, Family, Education, Opinion Leaders, Life Events

 

Family is the most important 

Term
What is the best predictor of vote choice?
Definition
Party Identification 
Term
What contributes to partisan identification?
Definition
socioeconomic status
Term
What types of incentives may exist to encourage joining an interest group?
Definition
Purposive, Material, Solidarity
Term
What makes up one's socioeconomic status?
Definition
Income, Occupation, Education, Health
Term
How do those with lower socioeconomic status tend to vote? Those with higher socioeconomic status?
Definition

Lower - Liberal

Higher - Conservative

Term
What is the most important predictor of voter turnout?
Definition
Educational attainment 
Term
What are some reasons for the decline of political parties?
Definition
primary system, fundraising, and length of campaign season
Term
What did Mancur Olson say about the formation of interest groups?
Definition

You would have to offer a material benefit in order to get people to join 

Smaller interest groups keep free riders out 

Term
What did Anthony Downs say about the decision to vote/abstain?
Definition
If the cost outweighs the benefit of voting, you should abstain from voting 
Term
What three instituions/ groups make up and iron triangle?
Definition
Federal Dept. of Agriculture, House or Senate, Interest groups representing agricultrual people 
Term
What Amendment protects freedom of the press?
Definition
The First 
Term
Which type of media has the most impact?
Definition
Mass media
Term
What is the "race to be first" in the presidential primary system?
Definition
Front-Loading - in a presidential primary, states will rush to be done voting in order to allow their results to provide as much influence as possible 
Term
Which is preferred in polling and voter turnout statistics? Voting Age Population(VAP) or Voting Eligible Population (VEP)?
Definition
Voting Eligible - 20 million fewer eligible than VAP
Term
What were some of the voting reforms that came about during the Progressive Era?
Definition
The Secret Ballot (The Australian Ballot) - primary elections
Term
What are some Barriers to third parties in the U.S.?
Definition

Single plurality voting - the first past the post goes on, and the others get nothing

Electoral Rules act as barriers

Campaign Financing

Ballot Rules

Term
How many Electoral College votes are there total?
Definition
538
Term
How many Electoral College votes are needed to win?
Definition
270
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