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POLSC 115, PLS 105 EXAM 3 CHAPTERS 8,9,10 Questions with Correct Rationales Graded A+
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POLSC 115, PLS 105 EXAM 3 CHAPTERS 8,9,10 Questions with Correct Rationales Graded A+
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POLSC 115, PLS 105 EXAM 3CHAPTERS 8,9,10 Questions with
Correct Rationales Graded A+
incumbents - Answer: A politician running for re-election to the office he or she currently holds.
open primary - Answer: A primary election in which any registered voter can participate in the contest,
regard- less of party affiliation.
closed primary - Answer: A primary election in which only registered members of a particular political
party can vote.
general elections - Answer: The election in which voters cast ballots for House members, senators, and
(every four years) a president and vice president.
plurality voting - Answer: A voting system in which the candidate who receives the most votes within a
geographic area wins the election, regardless of whether that candidate wins a majority (more than half)
of the votes.
majority voting - Answer: A voting system in which a candidate must win more than 50 percent of votes
to win the election. If no candidate wins enough votes to take office, a runoff election is held between
the top two vote-getters.
runoff election - Answer: Under a majority voting system, a second election held only if no candidate
wins a majority of the votes in the first general election. Only the top two vote-getters in the first
election compete in the runoff.
primary - Answer: A ballot vote in which citizens select a party's nominee for the general election.
caucus - Answer: A local meeting in which party members select a party's nominee for the general
election.
,proportional allocation - Answer: During the presidential primaries, the practice of determining the
number of convention delegates allotted to each candidate based on the percentage of the popular vote
cast for each candidate. All Democratic primaries and caucuses use this system, as do some states'
Republican primaries and caucuses.
Winner-take-all - Answer: During the presidential primaries, the practice of assigning all of a given
state's delegates to the candidate who receives the most popular votes. Some states' Republican
primaries and caucuses use this system.
electoral college - Answer: The body that votes to select America's president and vice president based
on the popular vote in each state. Each candidate nominates a slate of electors who are selected to
attend the meeting of the college if their candidate wins the most votes in a state or district.
popular vote - Answer: the votes cast by citizens in an election
electoral votes - Answer: Votes cast by members of the electoral college; after a presidential candidate
wins the popular vote in a given state, that candidate's slate of electors cast electoral votes for the
candidate on behalf of that state.
election cycle - Answer: the two year period between general elections
open seat - Answer: an elected position for which there is no incumbent
political business cycle - Answer: Attempts by elected officials to manipulate the economy before
elections by increasing economic growth and reducing unemployment and inflation, with the goal of
improving evaluations of their performance in office.
GOTV ("get out the vote") or the ground game - Answer: A campaign's efforts to "get out the vote" or
make sure their supporters vote on Election Day.
federal election commission - Answer: The government agency that enforces and regulates election
laws; made up of six presidential appointees, of whom no more than three can be members of the same
party.
, hard money - Answer: Donations that are used to help elect or defeat a specific candidate.
soft money - Answer: Contributions that can be used for voter mobilization or to promote a policy
proposal or point of view as long as these efforts are not tied to supporting or opposing a particular
candidate.
paradox of voting - Answer: The question of why citizens vote even though their individual votes stand
little chance of changing the election outcome.
issue voters - Answer: People who are well informed about their own policy preferences and
knowledgeable about the candidates, and who use all of this information when they decide how to vote.
voting cues - Answer: Pieces of information about a candidate that are readily available, easy to
interpret, and lead a citizen to decide to vote for a particular candidate.
coattails - Answer: The idea that a popular president can generate additional support for candidates
affiliated with his party. Coattails are weak or nonexistent in most American elections.
split ticket - Answer: A ballot on which a voter selects candidates from more than one political party.
straight ticket - Answer: A ballot on which a voter selects candidates from only one political party.
Runoff elections only occur in states that use . - Answer: majority voting
The recent trend in the presidential nomination process has been to . - Answer: schedule primary
elections earlier in the process
What are superdelegates? - Answer: Democratic party officials who are free to support any candidate
for nomination
The winner-take-all method of allocating most states' electoral votes results in candidates focusing on
states and states. - Answer: high population; swing
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