Name: Class Period:
Study Guide: Political Process
1. True or False: the authors of the U.S. Constitution were afraid that political
parties would not work for the good of the American people
True False
Republicans
2. Currently, the two major parties in U.S. government are the _______________
Democrats
and the __________________
3. What are the four functions of political parties?
Nominating and recruiting candidates
a. _________________________________________________________
Educating the electorate
b. _________________________________________________________
Helping candidates win elections
c. _________________________________________________________
Monitoring the actions of office holders
d. _________________________________________________________
4. Third party candidates rarely win elections, but they can in uence the
outcome because third party candidates o en take _________
votes from major
party candidates
5. True or False: each state in the U.S. makes its own rules for holding elections
True False
6. The candidate in an election is chosen when members of the same party run
primary
in a __________________ election.
7. Once party candidates have been chosen, they run against each other in the
general
___________________ election
8. What is one way that political parties educate voters?
political advertisements
___________________________________________________________________
fundraising
9. Political parties raise money through _____________________ for candidates
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10. What is one way that political parties can make money for candidates
campaigns?
Funding from political action committees
___________________________________________________________________
11. Monitoring the actions of o ce holders is primarily a role of the
minority
__________________ party in U.S. government
12. Traditionally, political parties in the U.S. appeal to issues at the
center
___________________ of the political spectrum so they can get more votes
Political Action Committees
13. ______________ ______________ ________________ can collect unlimited
contributions from people and organizations that give them donations
14. This government organization exists in order to make information about
contributions to political campaigns public information so there is more
transparency:
The Federal Election Commission
___________________________________________________________________
15. In their decision on the case Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission The
Supreme Court determined that corporations can donate to campaign in
speech
unlimited amounts because donations are a matter of free _______________
16. If a person has more conservative political views, they usually want
less
__________________ government regulation
17. The entire population of voters in the United States is known as the
electorate
______________________
18. If a person has more liberal political views, they o en believe that
government policies ___________
help individuals
platform
19. A party s ____________________ is the set of ideas or beliefs that it promotes
propaganda
20. Political campaigns use _________________________ techniques to promote or
criticize election candidates
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21. According to the ______
15th amendment to the Constitution, no U.S. citizen can
be denied the right to vote because of race, color or previous condition of
servitude
26th amendment to the Constitution lowered the legal voting age from
22. The _____
21 to 18
23. According to the _____
19th amendment, the right to vote cannot be denied based
on one s biological sex
1965
24. The Voting Rights Act of ____________ made the use of measures such as
literacy tests illegal as a requirement for voters
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