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State and local govt
test 2
70
Other
Undergraduate 2
04/02/2014

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Cards

Term
Proposition 187
Definition
(CA, 1994) Immigration
-Prohibited illegal immigrants from health care, public education and government services
-Overturned by courts
Term
Proposition 184
Definition
(CA, 1994) Three Strikes
-Second strike doubles sentence
-3 strikes= 25 years to life
-Crimes committed as a minor can count
-$20 cartoon of cigarettes
-Prison overcrowding
-Weakened with Proposition 36 in 2012
Term
Proposition 227
Definition
(CA, 1998) Bilingual Education
-CA's 3rd English only initiative
-Eliminated bilingual education
-Established English tutoring
Term
Proposition 8
Definition
(CA, 2008) CA Marriage Protection Act
-Defined marriage between opposite sex
-CA Supreme Court upheld amendment but
-Grandfathered any existing gay/lesbian marriages
Term
Proposition 13
Definition
-June 6, 1978- initiated by Howard Jarvis and Paul Gann
-$5 billion surplus real estate boom
-Reduced property tax rate to 1% of the 75-76 value
-Future assessment increases to 2% per year except when ownership changes
-Barred legislature from raising taxes without 2/3 majority
-Cut local taxes by $6 billion
-Property owners 57% relief
Term
Consequences of Proposition 13
Definition
-Taxpayers kept a lot of money
-No initial service decimation because of surplus
-Changed in the 1980s
-Class size in CA largest in the states
-Drop from 21st to 35th in per pupil spending
-Per capita highway maintenance dropped to 50th
-Unequal tax benefits
-Lack of emergency funds
-Supermajority
Term
Case for Direct Democracy
Definition
-Empower grassroots
-Builds better citizens
-Voters seek information
-Increase interest in politics
Term
Case against Direct Democracy
Definition
-Voters may not understand difficult policy
-Tyranny of majority
-Very expensive
-Citizens cannot afford them
Term
Referendum
Definition
public vote on a statute or constitutional amendment
Term
Legislative referendum
Definition
legislation approved by the legislature, but referred to the voters for final approval. Some legislation, like constitutional amendments or bond issues, must be referred to voters for final approval
Term
Popular referendum
Definition
allows person or group to petition to have a public vote on something the legislature has already approved
Term
Direct initiative
Definition
allows a person to propose a bill, collect signatures, and vote on the bill
Term
Indirect initiative
Definition
involves a petition to have the legislature consider a bill proposed by citizens
Term
recall
Definition
allows a person or group to petition for a public vote to remove an official
-many cities and 18 states have the recall
-ex: CA's Gray Davis was recalled in 2003
Term
The promise of Direct Democracy
Definition
-Rooted in the populist and progressive movements
-To give the public more control over public officials
-Reforms designed to make a more responsible and representative govt
Term
Direct Democracy during the Progressive Era
Definition
-Reforms to take power from incumbents, political machines and interests
-Give power to the voters
Term
Responsible party model
Definition
parties should be ideologically consistent, presenting voters with a clear platform and set of policies that are principled and distinctive
Term
Functional party model
Definition
theory that parties are pragmatic, self-interested organizations, striving to maximize votes in order to win elections and control political office
Term
Direct primary
Definition
voters select one candidate affiliated with a political party for each elected office; the party nominees later face one another in a general election
Term
Caucus
Definition
Party members informally meet, deliberate, and then cast votes for their preferred candidates
Term
Closed primary
Definition
voters must register with a political party prior to election day and can only vote for candidates of the party for which they are registered
Term
Blanket primary
Definition
vote in one primary for one office and another primary for another office (unconstitutional since 2000 with exception of Louisiana)
Term
Semi-open primary
Definition
permits registered voters to vote in any party's primary but voters must publicly declare on election day the party primary in which they choose to vote
Term
Semi-closed primary
Definition
permits voting in a primary by those who are registered with the party or who are registered as independents
-ruled constitutional in Clingman v. Beaver (OK, 2005)
Term
Top-two primary
Definition
Allows eligible voters, irrespective of their party affiliation, to vote in a primary for any candidate running on any party ticket, with the top candidates from each political party squaring off in the general election
Term
Party fusion
Definition
permits 2 or more parties to nominate the same candidate for office, with the candidate's name appearing on the ballot alongside the name of each party by which he or she is cross-endorsed
Term
Party Identification (PID)
Definition
strength of an individual's attachment to a political party
Term
Partisan dealignment
Definition
the weakening of the attachment that voters have to a political party
Term
Spoils system
Definition
an informal system in which political appointments are rewarded on the basis of political considerations rather than fitness for office
Term
Patronage appointments
Definition
rewarding of government offices to loyal supporters in exchange for their political support
Term
Party boss
Definition
the head of an urban or state party machine who controls elections and the disbursement of patronage
(ex: "Boss" Tweed of NYC, unprincipled, self-serving and corrupt)
Term
Parties in the "Party Era"
Definition
-Spoils system
-Patronage appointments
Term
The urban party machine
Definition
-Headed by party boss
-Tammany Hall, NYC; Chicago
Term
Death and rebirth of party organizations
Definition
-Progressive Era reforms weakened parties
-So did shift to candidate-centered campaigns
-Resurgence since 1970s- provide services to candidates
Term
Political Action Committees (PACs)
Definition
pool money to contribute to candidates
Term
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA)
Definition
-also known as McCain-Feingold
-Banned parties from using soft money
-McConnell v. FEC: court upholds restrictions
Term
Party-column ballot
Definition
groups together all candidates running for different political offices by their party affiliation, making straight-ticket voting possible
Term
Office-block ballot
Definition
groups together all candidates running for a single political office by the political office rather than by their party
-made split-ticket voting easier
Term
Governmental watchdogs
Definition
a group that monitors and publicizes the actions of govt officials and agencies and pulls a public alarm when something is awry
Term
Interest group
Definition
formally organized body of individuals, organizations or enterprises that shares common goals and joins in a collective attempt to influence the electoral and policy-making process
Term
Types of interest groups
Definition
-Membership groups
-Associations
-Institutions (Enterprises)
Term
Pluralism/Pluralist Theory
Definition
-Assumes conflict is at the heart of politics
-Accepts diversity of interests
-Should promote/preserve the public good
-Potential interests may form because of shared views in society
-All active and legitimate groups can make themselves heard (Robert Dahl)
(combine with people who share the same interests with you)
Term
Potential interest
Definition
an interest that is yet to be organized but has some latent acceptance in society
Term
Mobilization of bias
Definition
the benefitting of private, organized interests in an interest group system (ability to control the agenda)
Term
Disturbance theory
Definition
societal or environmental events result in group formation
Term
Free-rider problem
Definition
individuals try to benefit from public goods without paying for them (collective action)
Term
Selective benefit
Definition
the provision by a group of some material, purposive, or solidarity incentive that can be enjoyed only by members of the group
Term
Lobbying
Definition
systematic effort to influence public policy by pressuring governmental officials to make decisions that comport with the interests of the group pursuing the desired action
Term
In-house lobbyists
Definition
individuals who are employees of a membership group, association, or institution representing their own organization
Term
Contract lobbyists
Definition
work either independently or for a lobbying firm; professional lobbyist who temporarily works on behalf of a client
Term
Issue advocacy
Definition
form of political speech that mentions issues and positions of public officials but does not advocate the support or defeat of those officials
Term
Earned media
Definition
generating news stories for the press to report on for free
Term
Astroturf campaigns
Definition
constituencies are manufactured by interests
Term
Ballot measures are used:
Definition
in two-dozen states as means for interest groups to advance their cause
Term
Electioneering
Definition
interest groups support candidates
Term
Interest group system density
Definition
number of functioning groups relative to the size of the state's economy
Term
Interest group system diversity
Definition
the spread of groups across various social and economic realms
Term
Federalist #10
Definition
-Madison warned of the dangers of factions
-They were a "necessary evil"
-Not all interests in a society are equally represented nor are factions in society randomly distributed across the population
Term
Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission (2010)
Definition
-Supreme Court overturns Congressional ban limiting corporations from direct spending
-Essentially treated corporations (and maybe unions) as individuals
-Permitted corporate spending on issue ads conducted independently of candidates
Term
Initiatives
Definition
-initially weakened parties
-now parties use initiatives for their advantage
Term
Criticisms of Pluralism
Definition
-Economic interests are favored
-They have a structured advantage
-Mobilization of bias benefits private, organized interests
-Not all interests are equal
Term
Who joins interest groups?
Definition
-Wealthy, better educated, professionals
-Those who are asked to join
(poor people are less likely asked to join)
Term
Interest group techniques
Definition
-insider, direct, outsider, indirect techniques
-lobbying (pressuring public officials)
Term
How has lobbying increased? 1980, 1990, 1999
Definition
1980: about 15,000 lobbyists in the states
1990: over 29,000
1999: almost 36,000
Term
Regulation of lobbyist
Definition
-All states require lobbyist to register
-37 require expenditure reports
-24 have ethics commissions
-some have "revolving door" periods before govt officials can lobby
Term
Changes in state lobbying
Definition
-interest proliferation
-specialization.more single issue groups
-sophistication in lobbying
-PAC growth
-increase in public interest groups
-increase in institutions
Term
Why have changes occurred in lobbying?
Definition
1. Devolution
2. Increased state government activity
3. Fragmentation
4. New interests
5. Increases in corporations, businesses, etc.
Term
What do parties do?
Definition
-mobilize interests of citizens
-enhance ability to hold officials accountable
-regulate ambition
-act as agents of political socialization
-organize decision-making institutions
Term
Why parties?
Definition
-Essential for democratic govt
-Role of ambition
-Obtaining and maintaining power
Term
Parties in the electorate
Definition
-eligible voters + non-voters who identify with a party
-party identification
-political ideology
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