Political Science 161

Questions for Bardes, et al, Chapter 9

1. Discuss the issues involved in putting spending limits on political campaigns.

2. What are the qualifications to be a president, vice president, U.S. senator, or U.S. representative? Looking at social background characteristics, what type of people run for political office? How is the modern campaign different from traditional campaign?

3. What is a tracking poll? What is a focus group? What were the major provisions of the Federal Election Campaign Acts of 1972 and 1974? What is issue advocacy advertising? What is soft money? What is bundling? What are independent expenditures?

4. Give key provisions of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002.

5. What is a presidential primary? What is a closed primary? What is a semi-closed primary? What is a semi-open primary? What is an open primary? What is a blanket primary? What is a run-off primary? What is a super delegate? What is front-loading in presidential primaries?

6. Discuss how the Electoral College works. Discuss possible reforms of the Electoral College system.

7. What is an Australian ballot? What is an office bloc ballot? What is a party column ballot? What is the coattail effect? What is a poll watcher? What are the problems and benefits of mail voting? Discuss the danger of vote fraud? How about problems of purges of voters by public officials in Florida? How about accusations of voting from vacant lots in Missouri?

8. Discuss the two schools of thought concerning low voter turnout. What factors influence voter turnout? How is American voter registration different from European voter registration? What are some other explanations for low voter turnout in the United States?

9. Discuss the turnout of various socioeconomic groups.

10. Discuss briefly the six functions performed by the mass media. What is a sound bite? What is narrowcasting? What is meant by spin? What is a spin doctor? Discuss the growing influence of the Internet in political campaigns. What are its pros and cons? What are some ways that the media impacts voters? What do we mean by the media setting the public agenda?

11. Discuss corporate control of the media. Discuss government control of media content. Discuss the public’s right to media access. Discuss how to be a critical consumer of the news.