American Government-Exam 3 Review
Four main Features of Electoral System: Universal adult suffrage (the who), secret
voting with the Australian ballot (the how), single member districts with equal
population (the where), and plurality rule (the what)
Who can Vote? Answer: All individuals who are citizens, 18+ years of age, not in
prison, not a former felon (in most states)
Australian Ballot: lists the names of all candidates running for a given office and
allows the voter to select any candidate for any office.
Single Member District: each area elects one representative to a given office
Plurality Rule: An electoral system in which victory goes to the candidate who
receives the most votes (hard for small parties to win)
Duverger’s Law: two major parties dominate due to the use of single-district and
plurality rule systems
Gerrymandering: the practice of redrawing electoral districts for political
advantage
Paradox of Voting: a large number of people still vote
Riker and Ordeshook: Riker and Ordeshook speculate that many people receive
additional participation benefits from the act of voting itself that are related to a
sense of civic duty.
Alternative Solution: People also vote just to get the “I Voted” sticker
Three Motivations of Political Candidates: Office-seeking, profit-seeking, and
policy-seeking (Focus on C question on recap papers)
Political Parties: Political parties are organizations comprised of politicians,
activists, and voters whose goal is to win control of the government
Benefits of Two Party Systems:
❏ Vote Choice
❏ Politics inside governing institutions
❏ Accountability
Civil Liberties: They are your protection from the government so it focuses on
what the government must NOT do.
1st Amendment: Freedom of religion, Freedom of Expression
The Establishment Clause protects against the establishment of an official state
church and the state showing favoritism to a particular religion
The Free Exercise Clause: protects the right to practice whatever you choose to
Four main Features of Electoral System: Universal adult suffrage (the who), secret
voting with the Australian ballot (the how), single member districts with equal
population (the where), and plurality rule (the what)
Who can Vote? Answer: All individuals who are citizens, 18+ years of age, not in
prison, not a former felon (in most states)
Australian Ballot: lists the names of all candidates running for a given office and
allows the voter to select any candidate for any office.
Single Member District: each area elects one representative to a given office
Plurality Rule: An electoral system in which victory goes to the candidate who
receives the most votes (hard for small parties to win)
Duverger’s Law: two major parties dominate due to the use of single-district and
plurality rule systems
Gerrymandering: the practice of redrawing electoral districts for political
advantage
Paradox of Voting: a large number of people still vote
Riker and Ordeshook: Riker and Ordeshook speculate that many people receive
additional participation benefits from the act of voting itself that are related to a
sense of civic duty.
Alternative Solution: People also vote just to get the “I Voted” sticker
Three Motivations of Political Candidates: Office-seeking, profit-seeking, and
policy-seeking (Focus on C question on recap papers)
Political Parties: Political parties are organizations comprised of politicians,
activists, and voters whose goal is to win control of the government
Benefits of Two Party Systems:
❏ Vote Choice
❏ Politics inside governing institutions
❏ Accountability
Civil Liberties: They are your protection from the government so it focuses on
what the government must NOT do.
1st Amendment: Freedom of religion, Freedom of Expression
The Establishment Clause protects against the establishment of an official state
church and the state showing favoritism to a particular religion
The Free Exercise Clause: protects the right to practice whatever you choose to
