GoPo Unit 5 Political Parties

The official statement of a party's policy goals, released as party of the national party convention, is known as

• grassroots organization
• the party in the electorate
• the party platform
• the party pyramid

Which of these following choices is a function of political parties?

• Mobilize Voters

• Establish a platform

• Manage campaigns and candidates

• Aiming to govern while implementing policy

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is responsible for

• Supporting states to run elections

• Checking for voter fraud

• Setting up the calendar for elections

• Regulating the finances of political campaigns

In response to the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold Act), the United States Supreme Court, in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010), ruled that

• limits cannot be placed upon candidates’ contributions to their own campaigns

• independent campaign expenditures by corporations and unions are protected by the First Amendment

• limits on issue advertisements 90 days before an election are unconstitutional

• requiring endorsement statements in campaign advertisements is unconstitutional

Which of the following describes a fundamental difference between political parties and interest groups?

• Political parties are prohibited from sponsoring campaign advertisements, and interest groups are not.

• Political parties represent broad arrays of issues, whereas interest groups are more likely to focus on narrow sets of issues.

• Political parties tend to have strength in particular regions, whereas the power of interest groups is more consistent across states.

• Political parties are required to disclose their campaign finance activities, whereas interest groups are not.

Which of the following statements best describes the organization of the two major political parties in the United States?

• Parties are centrally organized to provide a smooth transition from one national campaign to the next.

• Parties are organized much like a large corporation, in that decisions flow from national to state and local levels.

• Local and state parties have virtually no power in the party system.

• Separate and largely independent party organizations exist at national, state, and local levels.

Which of the following Supreme Court cases is most related to the topic in the cartoon?

• United States v. Lopez (1995)

• McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

• Shaw v. Reno (1993)

• Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission (2010)

An electoral system based on single-member districts is usually characterized by

• strong, centralized political parties and a weak executive

• higher rates of voter turnout than are common in other systems

• domination of the legislature by two political parties

• ideological rather than mass-based parties

Why do party realignments occur? (pick all that apply)

• Party Defeat

• Parties change their platform to reach a new base

• Voters shift allegiance in critical elections

• People go to another party because the snacks ran out

The primary function of political action committees (PAC's) is to

• serve as fund-raising organizations for challengers

• provide members of Congress with unbiased information regarding proposed legislation

• encourage broader participation in politics among the electorate

• raise campaign funds to support favored candidates