Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Unit 3
Unit 3
Unit 3
Jessica Hillis
Mr. Bailey
Government
27 September 2007
Unit 3
Chapter 5
1. What is a Political party?
A political party is a group of persons who seek to control the government by
winning elections and therefore holding office.
2. What roles or function do American political parties play?
Political parties are pivotal in the development of policies and leadership choices.
They also act as a link between the people and the government. Political parties
also bring conflicting groups together. They nominate candidates for election,
they inform and activate supporters, and they act like “bonding agents” which
serve to ensure that their candidates are giving a good performance. They also
govern, and watch over the conduct of the public’s businesses.
3. List and explain 4 reasons for the American twoparty system.
The Historical Basis: America basically began as a twoparty government, the
Federalists and the AntiFederalists.
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The Force of Tradition: Because America has always had a twoparty system;
many tries by smaller parties have gone unnoticed because the people have always
had a twoparty system to deal with.
The Electoral System: Many basic shapes and detail work in the direction of the
twoparty system. Singlemember districts are one of the most important of these
features. This works to discourage minor parties and helps to ensure the twoparty
system.
The American Ideological Consensus: Americans share many of the same beliefs,
but that does not make them all alike. America is a pluralistic society, consisting
of many distinct cultures.
4. What is a multiparty system? A oneparty system?
Multiparty system: In which many large groups and lesser groups exist, compete
and actually win public office. Although not found in America, many European
countries have multiparty systems.
Oneparty system: Where one specific group of person rules and is most preval
ent in dictatorships around the world. In America, a type of oneparty system can
be seen. Democrats have repeatedly dominated in politics in the South while Re
publican has dominated politically in the Northwest and New England.
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Chapter 6
5. Write a brief summary of the history of voting rights, focusing on the five stages
th th th
in the struggle to extend voting rights. Be clear on the 15 , 19
and 26
amend
ments, along with the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
When the Constitution first went into effect, voting rights were extended only to
white male property owners. Not even one in every fifteen males could vote, be
cause they didn’t own land. In the early 1800s, religious qualifications were elim
inated. Then, one by one, States began to eliminate the property ownership and
tax payment qualifications. Then, after the Civil War, the 15th amendment was cre
ated which prevented any citizen from being denied the right to vote because of
race, or color. Then, the 19th amendment was added, which prevented denial to
vote because of sex. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 allowed African Americans
the full right to vote. The 23rd amendment allowed residents of the District of
Columbia the right to presidential elections, the 24th amendment eliminated the
poll tax and the 26th amendment set the national voting age at 18 years of age.
6. Under the Constitution, who has the power to set suffrage qualifications?
The Federal Government does not the right to set suffrage qualifications, rather
that power is given to the states. The States must follow the rules set down by the
Constitution but anything else, is up to them.
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7. Describe the “size” of the nonvoting problem.
Tens of millions of Americans vote in the elections today, but there are still mil
lions who do not. The “nonvoting” problem comes from a number of things, one
being “ballot fatigue” in which voters lose their patience the further down the bal
lot they go. It is much more common in state and local elections in which there
are more positions that need to be voted for.
8. Describe “CannotVoters”. Of those who can vote, what reason are given for not
doing so?
“CannotVoters” include nearly 100 millions people; 10 million include resident
aliens, who are barred from voting in any election. Another 5 to 6 million people
were physically ill and simply could not vote. Another 2 to 3 million people had to
travel unexpectedly and could not vote. About 500,000 persons who did not and
could not vote were in mental health care or under some form of legal restraint.
Then, there are about 100,000 people who cannot vote because of religious be
liefs.
9. Who is more likely to vote (i.e. what are 6 sociological and 3 psychological
factors that influence people to vote)? What are the two most important factors
that determine voter participation?
Income; Occupation:
Voters in lower income brackets are more likely to vote Democrat. Voters in the
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higher income brackets are more likely to vote Republican. Business people are
also more likely to vote Republican, as opposed to the manual workers who are
more likely to vote Democrat.
Education:
College graduates are more likely to vote Republican than high school graduates
and high school graduates and more likely to vote Republican than those who
have only gone through grade school.
Gender; Age:
Women tend to favor Democrats while men tend to vote GOP. Traditionally,
younger voters are more likely to be Democrats than Republicans while older
voters tend to sway more towards Republican.
Religious; Ethnic Background:
Historically, Protestants tend to favor the GOP while Catholics and Jews tend to
favor the Democrats. For decades, African Americans have supported the Demo
cratic Party given then a large advantage during elections. Cuban Americans tend
to vote GOP, while Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans tend to vote Democrat.
Geography:
Traditionally, the South tended to vote Democratic, but recently Republicans have
been getting more votes in the South. New England and the Midwest have tradi
tionally vote Republican as well as urban areas and rural areas.
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Family and Other Groups:
Families tend to vote the same, and share the same beliefs. Also, circle of friends
tend to have the same political beliefs.
Party Identification:
The impact of party loyalty is the single most important predictor of how a person
will vote. Over time, many “independents” have risen up. Even though they say
that don’t support either major party, they often do vote for one of the major
parties quite regularly.
Candidates and Issues:
While many people support one of the major parties, they do not always vote for
that party. The candidates and the issues being discussed are what sway people
either way.
Chapter 7
10. What is the importance of the Nominating stage within the electoral process?
Nomination of candidates helps to narrow down the choices people can make
about who to vote for.
11. Describe the 5 ways in which nominations can be made in this country.
SelfAnnouncement:
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A person who wishes to run for office simply announces it. Arnold Schwarzeneg
ger was a selfannounced candidate.
The Caucus:
A caucus is a group of people who share similar beliefs who meet to select the
candidates they will support in the next election. It is still used to today in New
England, but only faintly resembles the original caucus.
The Convention:
A party’s members will meet to pick candidates for local offices and, at the same
time, select delegates to represent them in the county convention. At the county
convention state candidates are chose for the state convention, and at the state con
vention candidates are chose for the national convention.
The Direct Primary:
Held within a party to pick that party’s candidates for the general election. Law in
most state, which sets dates and conducts said primaries, regulates primaries.
Petition:
Candidates running for public office have petitions signed by a certain number of
qualified voters in the election district. Nomination by petition is found mostly at
the local level, and in some states is required for minor party candidates.
12. Explain the brief history of the “ballot” and why a secret one is so essential.
Voting was a public process through out the nation’s early history, but only paper
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ballots were used and at times, voting was done by voice. State law now requires
that ballots be cast in a manner so that others cannot know how any one person
has voted. An Australian ballot came into use and it is still today the basic form of
voting. Most states now use the Office group ballot, which is a ballot where all the
candidates for a certain office are grouped together. A secret ballot is so essential
because at one time, candidates would pay voters to vote for them and since the
ballots were on distinctly colored paper, other could tell whom they were voting
for.
Chapter 9
13. What are interest groups and how do they differ from political parties?
An interest is a private organization that tries to persuade officials to respond to
the shared beliefs of its members. Interests groups do not nominate candidates for
public office, while political parties do. Interest groups are private organizations,
while political parties are public.
14. List the good points and bad points of interest groups.
Good:
Interest groups serve to stimulate interest in public affairs. They raise awareness of
public affairs. Interest groups represent on the basis of shared attitudes, not geo
graphy. Interest groups are vehicles for political participation.
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Bad:
Interest groups have an influence far out of proportion to their size, which unbal
ances the contest of “who gets what, when, where”. It’s hard to tell just how many
people the interest group really represents. Some interest groups use tactics that, if
publicized, would undermine the political system.
15. What are major types of economically based interest groups?
Business groups:
The National Association of Manufacturers and the Chamber of Commerce for
the United States are economically based interest groups.
Labor groups:
Also known as unions, labor groups are also economically based and include:
The American Federation of LaborCongress of Industrial Organizations, The In
ternational Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and the American
Federation of state, county and Municipal Employees.
Agricultural groups:
The most prominent farm/agricultural groups are: National Grange, the American
Farm Bureau Federation, and the National Farmers Union.
Professional groups:
These include The American Medical Association, the American Bar Association
and the National Education Association. Associations under “professional groups”
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include those encompassing medicine, education, and law.
16. What kinds of groups constitute the “maze of other interest groups”?
Other types of groups include:
Groups that promote causes:
The American Civil Liberties Union, the Women’s Political Caucus, The Sierra
Club and Planned Parenthood are all groups that promote causes of one sort or an
other.
Groups that promote the welfare of certain groups:
The most prominent of these groups is the American Legion and the Veterans of
Foreign Wars, which help veterans. The AARP is also a group that helps to pro
mote the welfare for senior citizens.
Religious organization:
Religious groups also try to influence public policy in local issues all the way up
to the national level. Some of these groups include: The National Catholic Welfare
Council, which represents Catholics, The American Jewish Congress and the
B’nai B’rith’s AntiDefamation League, which both serve to help Jewish people.
17. What is the relationship between interest groups and public opinion? Specifically
what three “goods” are they trying to accomplish? What are seven major tech
niques of the propagandist?
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Interest groups regularly reach out to the public to supply information that the or
ganization believes the public should have. They also seek to build a positive im
age for a group. They also seek to promote a particular public policy. Propaganda
is a technique of persuasion aimed at influencing people beliefs and attitudes. Pro
pagandists used techniques like “namecalling” or “cardstacking” in order to try
and sway people opinions. Propagandists also use “glittering generalities” and try
to get people onto the “bandwagon”. They also try to connect with listeners more
by bringing themselves to their level using a technique called “plain folk”. Propa
gandists use transfers as well as testimonials in an attempt to sway listeners’ be
liefs.
18. What is the role of interest groups in the election process?
Interest groups try to influence the behavior of political parties in a number of
ways. Some groups keep close ties with one or more major party while others try
to gain the support of both parties. Interest groups help fund candidates’ cam
paigns in the hopes of people voting for them. Many interests groups focus on the
public policymaking process more than anything.
19. How do interest groups affect political parties and elections?
Interest groups help fund candidates campaign and therefore can basically decide
the candidates’ views. Because of the funding, interest groups attempt to educate
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people about what the interest group stands for.
20. Describe the role of lobbyists and how congress has tried to curb excesses of the
unscrupulous.
Lobbyists are activities by which group pressures are brought to bear on legislat
ors and the legislative process. Lobbyists work to help protect their clients from
that which might harm them. Congress, in 1946, passed the Federal Regulation of
Lobbying Act, which required lobbyists to register with the clerk of the House and
the secretary of the Senate. Each state has its own regulations for lobbyists as well
to protect again false or misleading testimonies and bribery.