CPW4U: Reading Guide
Name: __________________________
L. Sandy Maisel, American Political Parties and Elections, (Oxford: 2007), pp. 1-27, 91-116.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(p. 3)
1. The two defining characteristics of American Democracy
i) ________________________________________
ii) ________________________________________
2. Definition of 'separation of powers':
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
3. List two exceptions to the 'separation of powers'
i)____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
ii)___________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
4. In governments characterized by separation of powers, the _________________________ is elected
separately from ____________________________.
(pg. 4)
5. In the United States, not only are these officials chosen in separate elections, but also, their
_______________________________ as specified in the _____________________________ , also
guarantee that they are elected by different electorates.
6.
The Presidential term of office is : ________________ years
The term of office for a member of the House of Representatives: __________ years
The term of office for a member of the Senate: _________ years.
7. Regarding the selection of the Executive, how does the US system differ from a Westminster
Parliamentary model in the selection of a Prime Minister?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
8. The United States is a _____________________________ in that the nation is made up of distinct
geographic subunits that have ______________________________.
9. The powers of the government of the United States are _______________ and __________________
in the Constitution. The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution specifies:
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_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Translate into your own words:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
10. These States (New York, Vermont, Arizona, California etc...) have their own elected governments,
also characterized by separation of powers. They differ from each other in ways that are specified by
their own ________________________________ .
11. A federated system with separated governing powers means that
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
12. In most elections in the American federal system, citizens vote
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(p. 5)
13. Because power is shared between federal and the state governments
(record three points which follow in the paragraph...)
i)____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
ii)___________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
iii)___________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
14. Explain what is meant by the "long ballot"
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
15. Explain the concept of falloff.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(p. 6)
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16. As a consequence of the long ballot, it is difficult to forge the connection between
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Rarely are the outcomes of the elections near the bottom of the long ballot determined by
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
17. The second consequence of a federal system of powers is that all ballots are not equally long; in
fact, some might be quite short. Because federal legislators' terms differ in length from that of the
President,
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
18. Which offices are contested at the same time as other offices have important consequences. Many
states have changed their laws in recent years, so that
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
19. Most attention is paid to the ______________________________________ race when it is atop the
ballot. United states Senate and congressional races get most attention only when
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________ .
All State issues gain primacy
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(p. 8)
20. Citizens have the right to express their views, but because they are asked so often,
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
21. An additional consequence of the constitutional provisions that govern American elections, and
which distinguish our system from many others, is that
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Thus, no American government can fall because of ___________________________________________
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The electorate does not have the opportunity to
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(p. 9)
22. To use federal offices as an example, elections are held
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
The term of President is ___________________________ ; if a President dies in Office (or resigns),
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
23. Congressmen serve fixed _______________________ terms, and US Senators ____________ year
terms; if they die or resign, a
_____________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________. American
governments cannot fall through _______________________________________; elections cannot be
timed to coincide with __________________________________________________________________
(p. 10)
(p. 11)
24. It is essential to understand the ____________________________________ in order to evaluate
American democracy because that feature of the election context determines
(i) ___________________________________________________________________________________
(ii) __________________________________________________________________________________
(iii) _________________________________________________________________________________
25. Explain the 'Connecticut Compromise':
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
26. The Electoral College was the resultant compromise. The system was
___________________________________________________________________________________.
Each state was to select
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
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(p. 12)
This formula was a compromise between __________________________________________________ .
Each state was to determine for itself _____________________________________________________.
No 'elector' could hold _________________________________________________________________ .
Each elector was to cast two votes, one ___________________________________________________ .
A majority would be needed to __________________________________________________________.
If no majority occurred, ________________________________________________________________,
but each state would only have __________________________________________________________.
The runner-up would become ___________________________________________________________ .
(p. 13)
27. Explain the impact of the Twelfth Amendment:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
28. The second major change has been the adoption by states of a
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Explain why this change came about:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(p. 14)
29. Today, the winner-takes-all aspect of the Electoral College system, the most controversial part of the
system, is used in ___________________________ of the fifty states and in the District of Columbia.
Each still is allotted a number of electors ___________________________________________ plus
______________________ . The District of Columbia (based on the 23rd Amendment) shall have
_________________________________________________________________________________ .
This allocation of electors means that citizens in the states with smaller populations are
______________________________________________________, even though the absolute number of
electors in these states are low.
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30. In all states except for ______________________________ and _____________________________,
the
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
In these two states,
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
31. A majority of the Electoral College vote is needed to elect a President and Vice-President. If no
majority exists,
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
In that circumstance, the Vice-President is elected by _____________________________.
(p. 15-16)
32. The system by which the president is chosen is noteworthy for a number of reasons:
i) ___________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
ii) ___________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
iii) __________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
iv) __________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(p. 17)
33. The rational for 'single-member districts': Essentially, local representatives
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
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(p. 18)
34. By the time the party system came into play, it became apparent that
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________ ; while one party might dominate a state's politics, ____________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(p. 19)
35. Twenty-first century congressional districts average nearly _________________________________
36. Whereas the founders' vision was of homogeneous populations in relatively small districts
represented by one of their own who knew their interests,_____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(p. 20)
37. While single-member districts were designed to enhance effective and fair representation of
partisan interests, today those who draw district lines often do so with express purpose of
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Define the term 'gerrymandering':
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
38. Claims and evidence that this 'pillar' of American democracy (single-member districts) might in fact
be counterproductive toward achieving
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
39. Americans believe in ______________________________________. Except that for the most part
election winners are determined by a ______________________________ of those voting, not a
_______________________________ .
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(p. 21)
40. Define the following terms:
a) non-majority winner:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
b) runoff:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
c) Independent candidate:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
d) 'first-past-the-post'
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
e) run-off elections:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(p. 22)
f) super-plurality:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
41. Explain the reform proposal of "Instant Runoff Voting":
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
List the arguments in favour of 'Instant Runoff Voting':
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
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List the arguments against 'Instant Runoff Voting':
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
(p. 23)
42. The American electoral system is frequently described as a _____________________________. But
______________________________________ are not mentioned at all in the
____________________________________________________. No laws mandate that elections be
contested by the __________________________ or ____________________________ .
(p. 24)
43. The discussion of the electoral context says a good deal about why a _________________________
system has evolved in the United States. First, the presidency___________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________ .
The _______________________ nature of voting for the ___________________________ exacerbates
this effect. A system characterized by ______________________________________ in which the chief
executive is chosen by a series of ___________________________________ does not allow for
_________________________________________ or electoral dealmaking.
Second, ___________________________________ with _________________________________ for
legislative seats have much the same effect. Again, only one winner emerges; votes for minority party
candidates are viewed as ________________________________.
44. The two parties, while in office, have passed additional measures that go far toward ensuring their
continued dominance. Most prominent among these is
_____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________.
The commission co-chaired by former heads of the two major-parties, has adopted a series of rules
regarding participation by minor party candidates that candidates thought
_________________________ .
(p. 27)
45. The most important aspects of that framework are:
i) _____________________________________________________________________________
ii) ____________________________________________________________________________
iii)____________________________________________________________________________
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Inventory of terms:
 balance of power
 Branch of government
 chief justice
 Congress
 Connecticut compromise
 electoral college
 executive
 falloff
 federal republic
 federated system
 fixed-term elections
 franchise
 gerrymandering
 gubernatorial
 House of Representatives
 incumbent
 legislative judicial
 minority party
 majority winner
 non-majority winner
 plurality of votes
 plurality winner
 run-off election
 Senate
 separation of powers
 single-member district
 super-plurality
 two party system
 vice president
 votes of no confidence
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