2B Vocab Flashcards
Rational-choice voting
Voting based on what is perceived to be in the citizen’s individual interest
Prospective issue voting
Voting based on predictions of how a party or candidate will perform in the future
Retrospective issue voting
Voting to decide whether the party or candidate in power should be reelected based on the recent past
Party-line voting
Voting for candidates from one political party for all public offices across the ballot
Voter registration
System designed to reduce voter fraud by limiting voting to those who have established eligibility to vote by submitting the proper documents, including proof of residency
General election
Elections in which voters elect office holders
Primary election
Elections in which voters determine party nominees
Presidential election
Elections held in years when the president is on the ballot
Midterm election
Elections held midway between presidential elections
Off-year election
Elections held in odd numbered calendar years
Turnout
The proportion of the voting age public that votes, sometimes defined as the number of registered voters that vote
Winner-take-all system
Election system in which the candidate with the most votes wins
Single-member district
An electoral district in which voters choose one representative or official
Proportional representation
Election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote
Electoral College
Electoral system used in electing the President and Vice President , in which voters vote for electors pledged to cast their ballots for a particular party’s candidate
Safe seat
Elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other, so the success of the party’s candidate is almost taken for granted
Coattail effect
The boost that candidates may get in an election because of the popularity of candidates above them on the ballot, especially the president
Candidate appeal
How voters feel about a candidate’s background, personality, leadership ability, and other personal qualities
Name recognition
The advantage that incumbents have over challengers in election campaigns because voters are more familiar with them and they’re more recognizable
Caucus
A meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform
National party convention
A national meeting of delegates elected at primaries, caucuses, or state conventions who assemble once every four years to nominate candidates for President and Vice President, ratify the party platform, elect officials, and adopt rules
Efficacy
Citizens’ faith and trust in government and their belief that they can understand and influence political affairs
