USA Pol. - Elections > elections > Flashcards

elections Flashcards

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1
Q
A
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2
Q

What are the three types of federal elections in the US?

A

Presidential, Senate, House of Representatives

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3
Q

How often are presidential elections held?

A

Every 4 years

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4
Q

How often are Senate elections held?

A

Every 6 years

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5
Q

How often are House elections held?

A

Every 2 years

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6
Q

How many Senators are there?

A

100 (2 per state)

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7
Q

How many House Representatives are there?

A

435

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8
Q

What are the formal requirements to be president?

A

Natural-born US citizen
At least 35 years old
14 years residency
Cannot have served two full terms already

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9
Q

Are political experience and education formal requirements?

A

No, they are informal requirements

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10
Q

Name common informal requirements for presidential candidates

A

Money, experience, health, charisma, media skills, party backing, popularity, organisation

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11
Q

Why is money an important informal requirement?

A

Campaigns are extremely expensive

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12
Q

How old was Obama when he became president?

A

47

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13
Q

What political experience did Obama have before presidency?

A

Senator for Illinois (2005–2008)

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14
Q

How much did Obama raise in 2008?

A

Over $778 million

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15
Q

Why was Obama effective as a candidate?

A

Charismatic, telegenic, strong public speaker, popular

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16
Q

Who was Obama married to?

A

Michelle Obama

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17
Q

Name key state-level elections

A

Governor, State Senate, State House, State Attorney

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18
Q

Name key local elections

A

Mayor, Council, Sheriff, District Attorney

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19
Q

What is the “Invisible Primary”?

A

Pre-announcement period where candidates build support, image, and funding

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20
Q

Why is the Invisible Primary important?

A

Helps candidates become frontrunners before voting starts

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21
Q

How long before the 2024 election did Trump declare?

A

715 days

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22
Q

How long before the 2024 election did Kamala Harris declare?

A

107 days

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23
Q

What is a frontrunner?

A

Candidate leading in opinion polls

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24
Q

What is a “war chest”?

A

Money available for a campaign

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25
What is a primary?
An internal party election to choose a candidate
26
What is a caucus?
A meeting where voters physically show support for a candidate
27
Which has higher turnout: primaries or caucuses?
Primaries
28
Why do caucuses have lower turnout?
Time-consuming, public, held at fixed times
29
Rank elections by turnout (highest to lowest)
General election Primaries Caucuses
30
Which state goes first as a primary?
New Hampshire
31
Which state goes first as a caucus?
Iowa
32
Why do states want to go first?
Media attention and momentum
33
What is Super Tuesday?
Day when many states hold primaries at once
34
What is front-loading?
States scheduling primaries earlier to increase influence
35
What is a closed primary?
Only registered party members can vote
36
What is an open primary?
Any registered voter can vote
37
Which type usually has higher turnout?
Open primaries
38
What is a proportional primary?
Delegates awarded in proportion to votes won
39
What is a winner-take-all primary?
Candidate with most votes gets all delegates (Republicans only)
40
What are superdelegates?
Party elites who attend conventions
41
What change happened in 2018?
Superdelegates barred from first ballot
42
What happened in 2024?
Superdelegates regained voting power
43
What is an incumbent?
Someone currently holding office
44
Why are incumbent primaries usually low-profile?
Incumbents are rarely challenged
45
What is the incumbency effect?
Advantage from holding office
46
Why are primary challenges dangerous for incumbents?
Signal party division and weakness
47
What is a national party convention?
Meeting every 4 years to nominate candidates and agree platform
48
When are conventions usually held?
July–September of election year
49
What is the main modern function of conventions?
Party unity and media attention
50
What is a brokered convention?
No candidate has majority (hasn’t happened since 1952)
51
What is a balanced ticket?
VP chosen to complement presidential nominee
52
Name common balancing factors
Age, experience, ideology, geography, demographics
53
Why did Obama choose Biden?
Experience, age, foreign policy credibility
54
What is a governing-oriented VP choice?
Chosen to help run government, not just win election
55
When does the general election campaign run?
September to Election Day (November)
56
What are two main focuses of general election campaigns?
Campaign finance and TV debates
57
What was FECA (1974)?
Law limiting donations after Watergate
58
What did Buckley v. Valeo (1976) rule?
Spending = free speech
59
What are Super PACs?
Groups that raise unlimited money independently
60
What did Citizens United (2010) allow?
Unlimited independent spending by corporations and unions
61
When was the first TV debate?
1960 (JFK vs Nixon)
62
Why did JFK benefit from TV debates?
More telegenic than Nixon
63
What matters more in debates: style or substance?
Style
64
What is an October surprise?
Late election shock intended to influence voters
65
What is early voting?
Voting before Election Day
66
How many states allow early voting?
47 + DC
67
Average US turnout range?
~59–67%
68
What is the Electoral College?
Indirect system to elect president
69
How are electoral votes calculated?
Senators + Representatives
70
Which states do NOT use winner-take-all?
Maine and Nebraska
71
Why is the Electoral College controversial?
Popular vote loser can win
72
What are midterm elections?
Elections held midway through presidency
73
What is gerrymandering?
Drawing districts to favour a party
74
What is the coattails effect?
Popular top candidate helps down-ballot candidates
75
What is split-ticket voting?
Voting for different parties in one election
76
What is a proposition/initiative?
Citizens place laws on the ballot
77
What is a recall election?
Vote to remove an elected official
78
Are propositions federal or state-level?
State-level only
USA Pol. - Elections
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