Gov Unit 2: Political Parties & Elections

What is the purpose of a primary election or caucus?

• to elect a president

• to determine the leadership of a political party

• to select a party's candidate for the general election

• to eliminate unelectable politicians

What type of political party is the result of political division, usually over leadership or a particular policy issue?

• ideological party

• third party

• single-issue party

• splinter party

What voting group is extremely important for presidential candidates to win votes from?

• liberals

• moderates

• progressives

• conservatives

What kind of primary election allows voters to participate even if they are not registered as a Democrat or Republican?

• indirect primary

• semi-closed primary

• closed primary

• open primary

Which primary system is similar to the electoral college, in that voters only select party delegates who then cast their votes for the party's candidate for president?

• closed primary

• indirect primary

• direct primary

• caucus

What is the first state to hold a primary election in presidential election years?

• New Hampshire

• Iowa

• South Carolina

• Nevada

Examples: Republican Party, Libertarian Party, Socialist Party

• single-issue party

• third party

• ideological party

• splinter party

When a third party steals votes away from a major party in an election, causing the latter to lose, the third party can be seen as a _______.

• splinter

• spoiler

• distraction

• pain in the neck

Right-wing Republicans who meet at the Conservative Political Action Convention can be seen as a _______.

• political faction

• political party

• splinter party

• voting bloc

Which of the following is NOT a reason why we have a two-party system in the United States?

• we've always been that way

• the major parties change platforms to keep third parties small

• because there was no middle ground on issues like slavery

• the British Parliament is/was governed by two parties