10 named examples with their significance, drawn from the Panther database. Read them, then test yourself.
In test mode, tap an example to reveal why it matters.
The examples
Citizens United v FEC(2010)(tap to reveal)- Held independent corporate and union political spending is protected speech, creating Super PACs and roughly tripling federal election spending.
Super PACs(tap to reveal)- Allow unlimited independent spending; in 2024 around 70% of Super PAC money came from fewer than 100 individuals - donor, not voter, participation.
Bloomberg primary campaign(2020)(tap to reveal)- Spent over $1 billion and won a single delegate (American Samoa) - money buys presence, not a poorly-positioned win.
The Electoral College(tap to reveal)- Indirect election through state electors, which pushes campaigns and money into a handful of swing states.
Swing states(tap to reveal)- Campaigning and money concentrate in a few contested states; turnout in safe states is depressed because the result is known in advance.
Gerrymandering(tap to reveal)- Drawing district boundaries for partisan advantage produces safe seats and weakens the general election as a check.
Incumbency advantage(tap to reveal)- Name recognition and safe seats make sitting members very hard to unseat, blunting electoral accountability.
Primaries and caucuses(tap to reveal)- Hand candidate selection to ordinary voters on a scale no other democracy attempts - the party smoke-filled room is gone.
Dark-money groups(tap to reveal)- Channel undisclosed donations into campaigns, reducing transparency over who funds US elections.
Reforming the Electoral College(tap to reveal)- Abolition needs a constitutional amendment, so reform is near-impossible - the distortions are entrenched.