1. How much control do American parties have over their candidates? Why?
2. What are primary and general elections? What are open and closed primaries? What are the differences between caucuses and primaries? What kind does Texas have?
3. Why aren't third parties in the U.S. more successful in winning national elections?
4. How do American political parties compare with those in other Western democracies?
5. With what parties were Hamilton and Jefferson associated?
6. Assess the strengths and weaknesses of American political parties. What is a party platform?
7. Explain realignment, dealignment, and critical elections.
8. According the text's discussion of the "modern era" of political parties, why have political parties weakened?
9. What does the Constitution say about political parties?
10. Compare voter participation in the U.S. to other western industrialized countries.
Why does Texas have low voter turnout compared to the rest of the nation?
11. What sorts of discriminatory tools were used to keep certain types of people from voting? Be sure to include the location of polling places, literacy tests, grandfather clauses, poll taxes, and white primaries. Discuss Smith v. Allright .
12. Explain winner-take-all, absolute majority, plurality, and proportional representation systems. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each.
13. Explain single-member district and at-large election plans and their strengths and weaknesses. Explain Houston 's representation plan. What is cumulative voting?
14. Explain how the electoral college works. What are the benefits of this system? What are the problems?
15. What is universal suffrage?
16. In what kinds of elections is voter turnout highest? lowest?
17. How are voters registered in the U.S.?
18. What is the significance of the Voting Rights Act of 1965?
19. Define retrospective and prospective voting?
20. What is a recall election?
21. Explain how public financing of presidential elections works. What was it intended to do? For Texas, what sources of campaign funds are acceptable?