AP Government Essay

527 Organizations- organizations that organize and overstep m maveny to occur political causes Blanket Primary- a primitive(a) preference in which each votingr whitethorn choose for scenes from both parties Caucus (electoral)-Closed Primary- an election in which voting is limited to already registered political party members Coattails- The assert tendency for bowel movementers to bum around to a greater extent(prenominal) ballots in the election because their at the top of the ticket. ecumenical election- held to choose which run a risk will hold representation gerrymandering- drawing the boundaries of legislative districts in bizarre or unusual shapes to promote bingle party incumbent- The person already holding an elective officeindependent expenditures- glide bying by political action committees, corporations, or drudge unions that is done to help a party or sessdidate precisely is done independently of them malapportionment- drawing the boundaries of l egislative districts so that they argon unequal in world open primary- a primary election in which voters whitethorn choose in which party to vote as they enter the polling place political action committee- set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that put ups and spends campaign money from voluntary donations reapportionment-position egression- an issue ab let on which the unexclusive is divided and rival fuckdidates or political parties adopt antithetical policy positions primary election- held to choose panoramas for officeprospective voting- voting for a candidate because you favor his or her ideas for handling issues retrospective voting- voting for a candidate because you like his or her past actions in office gushoff primary- A second primary election held when no candidate wins a studyity of the votes in the first primary fragile money- finances obtained by political parties are spent on partyactivities, just now not on a specific candidate interm ediate surge- an increase in the votes relativeional candidates usually express when they first run for reelection valence issue- An issue about which the public is united and rival candidates or political parties adopt connatural positions in hopes that each will be thought to best represent those widely shared beliefs cinque differences between congressional and Presidential campaigns are Presidential races are much more competitiveA smaller portion of people vote in congressional races during off years than vote for the president. Members of congress can do things for their constituents that a president cannot A candidate for congress can avoid creation held accountable for the mess in Washington More voters move into in congressional electionsThe five tasks that one must(prenominal) complete in order to run for the presidency is Get mentioned as someone who is of presidential caliber-travel around the world fashioning speeches like Ronald Reagan which will put you on the radar. Shoot for oer 12 in a day Devote lots of time-M both candidates devote count slight amounts of time, in terms of years. It is especially important to start sooner if you are not already kn bear. However, you must be smart about your spending because you dont want to go broke before the frequent elections begin Try devoting a good four- six year of campaigning like Ronald Reagan.Get bullion-You need a certain amount of money in order to get your name on the radar. To be eligible for federal pinching grants to pay for primary campaign , you must first raise at least $5,000 in individual contributions of $250 or less in twenty states.Get make-You will need to raise a ton of money in order to campaign efficiently, but in order to do that, you will need a support system. Getting organized by hiring lawyers, accountants, a press secretary, travel scheduler, advertising specialist, direct mail company, pollster, volunteers and fundraisers will help the candidate live on top of their game plan.Pick Strategy and themes-Choose your game plan wisely. Whether or not you are an incumbent should also determine what strategy a candidate chooses to take. You must also consider such(prenominal) factors as what type of tone your campaign will watch, whether or not it will have a theme, timing, and what audience you would like to target. Incumbents are re pick out to Congress over 90 percent of the time Seats are apportioned in each abide of Congress according to Article 1 section 2 in the Constitution District boundaries can profoundly affect the outcome of the election due to problems of malapportionment, which is when one district is significantly bigger than than the other, requiring more votes in order to elect a representative. Gerrymandering was also an issue for it draws boundaries in odd shapes which in become favors one party over another. The four problems to solve in deciding who gets represented in theHouse is Establishing the total size of the HouseA llocating seats in the House among the statesDetermining the size of congressional districts within statesDetermining the shape of those districtsA candidate wins a partys nomination by gathering enough voter signatures to get on the ballot in a primary election. They win their partys nomination by getting more primary votes than the next candidate. Seats are reapportioned e rattling ten years.In 1964, the Court ruled that the constitution requires that districts be drawn so that as nearly as possible, one persons vote would be worth as much as another. Incumbents have the advantage of reelection in Congressional elections Due to the sophomore surge, members of Congress get 8 to 10 percent more votes than when they were first reelected. Two consequences of how congressmen/women are elected are that it produces legislators who are closely tied to local concerns and second, it ensures that party leaders will have comparatively weak influence over them. Local orientation of members of congress has important affects on policy making for example, if you have a representative in a certain committee of Congress, your state has a high chance of directly benefiting from whatever it is the committee can provide. Delegates tend to value reelectionover anything else and seek out committee assignments and projects that will produce benefits for their districts.On the other hand, trustees will seek out committee assignments that afford them a chance to address large questions that may not even affect their districts. What works in a primary election may not work in a general election, and viciousness versa, in part because different elections or caucuses attracts a different mix of voters. The Iowa caucus is the first existent test for candidates, so any slip at this caucus is a major disadvantage to the candidate due to the media attention and contributor interest. Primary voters tend to be more ideologically polarized than the average voter. emplacement issues are is sues that are addressed during a candidates running for office in which he or she must make a stand on. These issues tend to share opposing views for the rival candidates and may also bring out the voters opinion. For example, in the recent election of Obama and Romney, tax cuts and the Obama medicare plan proved to be position issues. Valence issues do not require one to take a side, rather it involves an issue in which everyone agrees, regardless of party identification. For example, in the Romney and Obama election, stronger education and school systems proved to be a valence issue. Television, Debates, and direct mail may influence campaigns in a variety of ways.Depending on the type of person who is absorbing the spots, visuals, and debates. For example, visuals and television newscasts may give the viewer less in systemation than commercial spots. Visuals in some cases on the other hand, can be a vital part in a campaign because they cost very olive-sized and as news they ma y have greater credibility with the viewer. There are devil different kinds of elections general and primary. Primary elections are held to see who shall be nominated to run in the general election as a candidate, and the general election chooses who will take office. Some are closed piece of music others are open,so one may have to declare in advance that they are registered to vote or you can go to an open primary where you decide which partys primary you would like to participate right there and then.A presidential primary is used to pick delegates to the nominating conventions of the major parties. Candidates can get around slips of the tongue by relying on stock speeches. Since the 1960s, television was used as a form of contesting campaigns and used largely to conduct campaigns. The internet made possible sophisticated direct-mail campaigning which in turn makes itpossible for a candidate to address specific appeals to particular voters easily and rapidly solicit campaign co ntributions Sources of campaign money for members of Congress come from their own pockets, private sources, or is raised from individuals, interest groups, or the political parties. For presidential candidates, money sources comes from private donors and the federal government, whereas Congress candidates rely on themselves or private sources to donate.Major Federal Campaign Finance RulesGeneral-contributions and expenditures reported to FEC-Anything over $100 must be disclosed with name, address, and occupation of contributor-Nothing over $100-no ceiling on how much candidates may spend out of their own moneyIndividual contributions-cant give more than $2,000-no gifts exceeding $95,000 every two years. $37,500 goes to candidatesPolitical Action Committees-each corporation, union, etc may establish one-Must register 6 months in advance, have at least 50 contributors, and give at least 5 candidatesBan on Soft specie-no union or corporation can give away own money from treasury to a ny national partyIndependent Expenditures-corps, unions, associations, cant use own money to fund campaign communications referring to candidates sixty days before gen.Election and 30 days before primary -PACs can fund electioneering up to their limitsPresidential Primaries-Federal matching funds can be given to match individual contributions up to $250 or less -candidate must raise $5,000 in 20 states, with contributions of $250 or lessPresidential Election-gov will pay all campaign costs up to legal limits of major party candidates and part of the cost of minor party candidates. The 2004 presidential election was unique because of the following factors the state of war in Iraq, Bush running for second term which gave him an up in the electoral votes, Bush and Kerry won the same states that Bush and Gore won in 2000, and alsobecause of the high voter turnout. Minor-party candidates can get federal campaign money if they have won at least 5 percent of the vote in the last election . This has only happened once in 2000 The 1973 Campaign Finance Law created the problems of independent expenditures and soft money.The three changes to the Campaign Finance reform act was the banishment of soft money, raising the limits of independent contributions from $1,000 to $2,000, and it precipitously restricted independent expenditures made by corporations, labor unions, and trade associations by restricting these organizations from using their own money to mention a clearly identified federal candidate in advertisement 60 days prior to the general election and thirty days prior to the primary election A suit formed against this law and tell that restricting an organization from mentioning a candidate prior to general and primary elections was a violation of freedom of speech. The Supreme Court upheld almost all of the law and stated it was not a violation.The NORC analysis states that if the recount of votes in Florida had not been halted by the U.S Supreme Court, Bush heretofore would have won, also if hand counts in only four heavily democratic Florida counties had been was granted, Bush lock up would have won. However, if the same equal protection standard the U.S Supreme Court wanted to use but said there was not enough time, Al Gore would have won 527 Organizations are allowed to spend their money on politics as long as they dont coordinate with a candidate or lobby directly with that person During peacetime, the state of the parsimony, the political party affiliation, and the character of the candidates more often than not decides who becomes presidentialThe pocketbook vote is the idea that the party holding the White House during good sparing times will do well, however if the economy is not doing so well, neither will the party. It is sticky to determine whos pocketbook the voting does because how a person is doing financially will sway their vote on how they believe the good or bad economy will affect them. Besides money, religion, a bortion, political reporting, and the vice-presidential nominee does not make much difference in the outcome of the election It is easier for incumbents to raise money because they are already well known to begin with, they can provide services to their districts, excite free mail to their constituents, and can get free publicity by sponsoring legislation orconducting an investigatingThe Republicans won nine presidential elections between 1968 and 2000 because democrats are not as committed to their parties as republicans are, Republicans have a higher percentage of independent voters, and there is a higher percentage of Republicans voting in the elections. A citizen does not need to be well informed politically to play an important in elections because despite the lack of knowledge in a certain field of politics, citizens ten to know more about the things that interest them. If it was a requirement for every citizen to be so well informed, citizenship in itself would be an occupa tion, taking up more time in peoples lives than they would want. A prospective voter is forward thinking. They consider both sides of views, including the opponent, and cast their votes for the person they feel will handle the matters more effectively. linear perspective voters might focus on big issues such as abortion, nuclear energy, or school busing.A retrospective voter thinks backwardly, meaning they look to the recent past to determine whether or not the economy is doing well. If the economy is doing well, retrospective voters tend to vote for the party that currently occupies the White House, however if the economy was sour, these voters vote against the party in the White House. A prospective voter would focus greatly on frugal issues, such as inflation.Campaigns make a difference in elections by reawakening partisan loyalties of voters, giving voters the chance to see how candidates handles pressure and how they apply it, and campaigns also allows voters to judge the cha racter and values of a candidate. Thematic campaigning, electronegative ads, and the demands of single issue groups have impacted elections in the decision making process of the right candidate during the primary. A loyal coalition of democrats would be African Americans. In almost every election, two-thirds or more vote democratic A loyal coalition of Republicans would beThe most loyal members of political parties does not have the most influence because they typically make up a small portion of the electorate. It is very hard to determine how a policies will be affected by elections is because there are so many offices to be filled and the ability it unite political parties under one policy is weak.