BYU Poli 110 Dynes midterm 2 Test
Questions and Answers 2026.
public opinion slide - Answer
cycling - Answer constant change in policy or distribution of resources
2 ways to stop cycling - Answer 1. create an 'agenda-setter'
2. team up to create an ongoing coalition
minimum winning coalition - Answer the smallest size coalition necessary to achieve a goal
its the minimum size for a majority
why do we have parties? - Answer resolve unstable coalitions
creating minimum winning coalition
giving power to party leaders to set an agenda
unstable coalitions - Answer an instance in which any voting coalition in favor of an
alternative can be divided by consideration of another alternative
coalition = a temporary alliance of distinct parties, persons, or states for joint action
party in the electorate - Answer the group of citizens who identify with a specific party
party organization - Answer a specific political party's leaders and workers at the national,
state, and local levels
party in government - Answer the group of officeholders who belong to a specific political
party and were elected as candidates of that party
every voting rule should follow - Answer 1. decisiveness: always be one winner
, 2. pareto principle: if every one wants A over B, B should never be elected
3. non-dictatorship: no one voter should always be able to decided the winner
4. independence of irrelevant alternatives: if you're trying to decided between A or B, C
shouldn't matter
approval voting - Answer you can vote for as many candidates as you want, up to 1 vote per
candidate. candidate with the most votes wins.
borda count: - Answer you rank order your candidates. on each voter's ballot, a candidate
gets 1 point + a point for each candidate ordered below them. you then count up the points per
candidate across all ballots. the candidate with the most votes wins.
first-past-the-post or plurality - Answer voters can cast just one vote and whoever gets the
most votes wins even if they don't get the majority
social choice theory - Answer theories and analyses of combining individual opinions,
preferences, interests, or welfare to reach a collective decision.
broadly applicable to all of human activity
arrow's impossibility theorem is a fundamental theory of social choice
Tiebout sorting/ foot voting/ competitive federalism - Answer
the miracle of aggregation - Answer if ignorant voters vote at random, then the election is
decided by the informed voters
issue publics - Answer voters who closely follow a particular issue
they're informed, politicians pay attention to them
can be extremists, and don't represent the majority view
Questions and Answers 2026.
public opinion slide - Answer
cycling - Answer constant change in policy or distribution of resources
2 ways to stop cycling - Answer 1. create an 'agenda-setter'
2. team up to create an ongoing coalition
minimum winning coalition - Answer the smallest size coalition necessary to achieve a goal
its the minimum size for a majority
why do we have parties? - Answer resolve unstable coalitions
creating minimum winning coalition
giving power to party leaders to set an agenda
unstable coalitions - Answer an instance in which any voting coalition in favor of an
alternative can be divided by consideration of another alternative
coalition = a temporary alliance of distinct parties, persons, or states for joint action
party in the electorate - Answer the group of citizens who identify with a specific party
party organization - Answer a specific political party's leaders and workers at the national,
state, and local levels
party in government - Answer the group of officeholders who belong to a specific political
party and were elected as candidates of that party
every voting rule should follow - Answer 1. decisiveness: always be one winner
, 2. pareto principle: if every one wants A over B, B should never be elected
3. non-dictatorship: no one voter should always be able to decided the winner
4. independence of irrelevant alternatives: if you're trying to decided between A or B, C
shouldn't matter
approval voting - Answer you can vote for as many candidates as you want, up to 1 vote per
candidate. candidate with the most votes wins.
borda count: - Answer you rank order your candidates. on each voter's ballot, a candidate
gets 1 point + a point for each candidate ordered below them. you then count up the points per
candidate across all ballots. the candidate with the most votes wins.
first-past-the-post or plurality - Answer voters can cast just one vote and whoever gets the
most votes wins even if they don't get the majority
social choice theory - Answer theories and analyses of combining individual opinions,
preferences, interests, or welfare to reach a collective decision.
broadly applicable to all of human activity
arrow's impossibility theorem is a fundamental theory of social choice
Tiebout sorting/ foot voting/ competitive federalism - Answer
the miracle of aggregation - Answer if ignorant voters vote at random, then the election is
decided by the informed voters
issue publics - Answer voters who closely follow a particular issue
they're informed, politicians pay attention to them
can be extremists, and don't represent the majority view
