Chapter 12 Understanding Elections (Gov)

The Federal Election Campaign Act (1971) aimed to reform campaign financing by

• forbidding banks to contribute to campaigns.

• banning unions from making campaign contributions.

• requiring campaigns to report all individual contributions over a certain amount of money.

• allowing soft-money contributions for political party ads.

What is the chief purpose of a political action committee?

• to set limits on campaign contributions

• to finance party-building activities, such as voter registration drives

• to create a system for the public funding of elections

• to raise and donate money to candidates and political parties

A _______ is research method that involves getting a response from a small number of people to predict responses of a larger population.

• focus group

• sound bite

• negative campaign

• demographic

Each campaign has a(n) _________ which advises candidates on important issues.

• issue adviser

• campaign manager

• media coordinator

• press secretary

The individual that oversees all aspects of a campaign and a campaign staff is called the ______.

• issue adviser

• media coordinator

• campaign manager

• press secretary

A population group defined by a specific characteristic or a specific set of characteristics is called a ____.

• focus group

• demographic

• platform

• policy

In making their appeals to voters, candidates and political parties draw up ________ that tell where they stand on important issues.

• district boundaries

• strategy maps

• campaign trails

• platforms

In a _____________, which is delivered at most campaign stops, a candidate gives his or her views on the basic issues.

• political process speeches

• Civil Rights speeches

• stump speeches

• inaugural speeches

The Federal Election Campaign Act now allows parties to spend unlimited sums on ________, such as voter registration drives, which do not support specific candidates.

• commerce drives

• majority leaders

• minority leaders

• party-building activities

Campaigns may send out volunteers to serve as ___________ to guard against possible cheating at voting places.

• poll watchers

• poll workers

• political analysts

• U.S. marshalls