Politics of the United States Questions

The Republican Party developed due to tensions between the North and the South in America. What event led to the solidification of the Republican and Democratic parties in America?

Is the U.S. Senate one of the most or one of the least malapportioned legislative chambers in the world?

Today, which parts of the country are strongly associated with the Democratic Party and which are associated with the Republican Party

What does political scientist Lee Drutman propose the U.S. do about the high number of people per representative?

A lot of people say they are "independents," but the textbook points out that this is somewhat misleading. Why is this misleading?

According to the textbook, what percentage of House elections in the year 2000 were genuinely competitive "toss up" races that could have gone either way?

Has gerrymandering or the "Big Sort" had more impact on the decline of competitive congressional elections?

What does it mean to say, "if you are not at the table, you are on the menu"? What implication does this have for the argument that it would be good to increase voter turnout among those who currently vote at disproportionately low rates?

Duverger's Law offers a social scientific explanation for why some countries have two-party systems and others have multiparty systems. What is that explanation?

Be able to rank the following positions based on how much real power they have (according to the textbook): the Senate's president pro tempore, the Senate Majority Leader, the Speaker of the House

does the U.S have a two-party system or multi party system?

Do younger Americans and older Americans tend to vote at approximately the same rate, or does one age group tend to vote at a significantly higher rate than the other (and if so, which one)?

Is there evidence to suggest that governments tend to systematically serve the interests of those who vote and deserve those who do not vote? Or does the government seem indifferent to who votes?

is the U.S. House of Representatives one of the most or one of the least malapportioned legislative chambers in the world?

Do highly educated Americans and less-educated Americans tend to vote at approximately the same rate, or does one education-level group tend to vote at a significantly higher rate than the other (and if so, which one)?

Is voter turnout generally higher or lower in Presidential election years or in midterm election years? Is it generally higher in federal elections or in local elections?

Over the past decade, have African American citizens tended to vote at higher, lower, or approximately the same rate as white Americans?

Be able to associate the following concepts / labels with the correct corresponding major political party: color blue, color red, Grand Old Party (GOP), elephant, donkey, conservative, liberal, right, left.

According to the textbook, what percentage of 2022 House district elections are genuinely competitive "toss up" races that could go either way?

Are election laws mostly the same from state to state or do they tend to vary markedly across states? Why?