Unit 2: Elections

Unit Study Guide

Study Questions: Answer these questions on your own. This will prepare you for tests!

  1. What roles/functions do political parties play in the American political process?
  1. How are the major political parties similar and how do they differ?

Democratic Party Similarities Republican Party

  1. How do third parties DIFR (differ) from the two major parties?

Do not usually win (choose one: lose or win)

Introduce new ideas

Focus on one issue/topic

Revolve around a personality such as Theodore Roosevelt

  1. How do citizens make informed choices to “deSIDE” in elections?
  2. Separating fact from opinion
  3. Identifying propaganda
  4. Detecting bias
  5. Evaluating sources
  1. Match the role of mass media in elections to the example:

A The Washington Post Headline: “Joe Biden Running for President”

B Street Journal Opinions Page: “Donald Trump: Make America Great Again”

D CNN Broadcaster Quote: “Donald Trump wants to build a wall around the south border of the US. Bernie Sanders thinks that’s a bad plan.”

C Washington Times Article: “Problems brewing between Russia and the US”

  1. What is campaign finance?

The money you spend when you are running for office.

  1. It’s expensive to run for elected positions. How has the high cost changed campaigning? (list 5)
  • Requires candidates to conduct extensive fundraising
  • Limits the opportunities to run for public office
  • Gives an advantage to wealthy who run for office
  • Gives issue-oriented interest groups an increased influence
  • Encourages the development of political action committees
  1. What reforms (changes) have been made to campaign finance laws to control the rising cost of campaigning? Limits have been placed on the amount of money individuals can contribute to campaigns. (Ppl can only donate ^ to $5,000 a pop!)
  1. Interest groups help fund a candidates run for office by forming political action committees (PAC’s), which help raise large amounts of money for the candidates.
  1. What are the qualifications (requirements) for voter registration in Virginia? (list 3)

1) U.S. citizen

2) V.A. resident

3) 18 years old (by election day)

  1. How can you register to vote in Virginia? (list 2)

1) Go to the registrar’s office (in Leesburg)

2) Go to the department of motor vehicles (D.M.V.)

  1. How far in advance do you have to register to vote?

Registration closes 22 days before election day.

  1. What factors predict which citizens will vote? (list 3) HINT: AEI

A ~ Age (people who are older: 35 years + are more likely to vote than 18-34 year olds)

E ~ Education (the more educated you are, the more likely you are to vote: people with a HS diploma or a college education are more likely to vote than someone without a degree)

I ~ Income (people with a higher salary are more likely to vote than someone who makes minimum wage or is unemployed)

  1. Why do citizens fail to vote? (list 2)

1) They don’t care (apathetic)

2) Inclement weather (it’s rainin’ catz & dogz!)

  1. What is apathy?

Not caring

  1. More people vote in presidential elections than in state and local elections.
  1. Who/what elects the President and Vice-President? The Electoral College
  1. How many total votes are there in the Electoral College? How many votes does a candidate need to win?

538 270

  1. What is the winner-take-all system? The candidate that receives the majority (more than 50%) of a state’s popular vote wins all of the electoral votes for that state.
  1. What states are targeted for campaigning because of the winner-take-all system? Swing states & states with a lot of electoral votes.
  1. The number of electors for each state is based on Congressional Representation.
  1. In Virginia: 11 Representatives + 2 Senators = 13 electors.
  1. What type of political system does the Electoral College favor? The two-party system
  1. What are the steps in the Electoral College Process?

1) The people vote on election day (popular vote)

2) Each state counts their votes. Whichever candidate gets the majority (over 50%) wins the states’ electoral votes.

3) The electoral votes for each state are based on congressional representation (2 senators + #representative based on population = electoral votes)

4) The candidate with the most electoral votes (270 to win) becomes president.