AP Gov political parties vocal Flashcards
Political party
An organized group of party leaders, office holders, voters who work together to elect candidates to political office.
Party Identification
The degree to which a voter is connected to + influenced by a political party.
Straight Ticket Voting
Voting for all of the candidates on the ballot from one political party.
Split Ticket Voting
Voting for candidates from different parties in the same election
Party Platform
a set of positions + policy objectives that members of a political party agree to
Recruitment
The process through which political parties identify potential candidates
Nomination
the formal processes through which parties choose their candidates for political office.
Delegate
a person who acts as the voters representative at the convention to select the party nominee
Superdelegate
Usually a party leader or activist who is not pledged to a candidate based on the outcome of the states primary or caucus
Primary Election
an electron in which a states voters choose delegates who support a presidential candidate for nomination or an election by a plurality vote to select a party’s nominee for a seat in congress.
General Election
Election in which voters decide which candidates will actually fill elective public offices.
Open Primary
a primary election in which all eligible voters may vote regardless of their party affiliation.
Closed Primary
a primary election in which only those who have registered as a member of a political party may vote
Caucus
a process through which a states eligible voters meet to select delegates to represent their preferences in the nomination processes
Front loading
a decision by a state to push it’s primary or caucus to a date as early in the election season as possible to gain more influence in the presidential nomination process.
Candidate Centered Campaign
a trend in which candidates develop their own strategies + raise money with less influence from the party elite
Two-Party System
a system to which two political parties dominate politics, winning almost all elections.
Proportional Representation System
an election system for a legislature in which citizens vote for parties, rather than individuals, and parties are represented in the legislature according to the percentage of the vote they receive
Single Member Plurality System
a election system for choosing members of the legislature where the winner is the candidate who receives the most votes, even if the candidate does not receive a majority of the votes
Third Party
a minor political party in competition with the two major parties
National Convention
a meeting where delegates officially select their party’s nominee for the presidency.
Party Coalition
groups of voters who support a political party over time
Realignment
when the groups of people who support a political party shift their allegiance to a different political party
Critical Election
a major national election that signals a change in the balance of power between the two parties
Era of Divided Government
a trend since 1969, in which one party controls one or both houses of congress + the president is from the opposing party
