APGov,Jonathan.S CH12 vocab Flashcards
Thomas Jefferson
Principle drafter of the Declaration of Independence; second vice president of the US; third president of the US from 1801 to 1809. Co-founder of the Democratic-Republican party
Donald J. Trump
the forty fifth president, a Republican, elected in 2016; first president elected without prior political or military experienced businessman
Hillary Clinton
First female major party candidate for president of the US, a Democrat, who ran against President Donald J. Trump in 2016. Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013; New York senator from 2001 to 2009; former first lady
Electorate
the citizen eligible to vote
Mandate
a command, indicated by an electorate’s votes, for the elected officials to carry out a party platform or policy agenda
Primary Election
election in which voters decide which of the candidates within a party will represent the party in the general election
Closed primary
a primary election in which only a party’s registered voters are eligible to cast a ballot
Open primary
a primary election in which party members, independents, and sometimes members of the other party are allowed to participate
Crossover voting
participation in the primary election of a party with which the voter is not affiliated
Runoff primary
a second primary election between the two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes in the first primary
General election
election in which voters decide which candidates will actually fill elective public offices
Initiative
an election that allows citizens to propose legislation or state constitutional amendments by submitting them to the electorate for popular vote
Referendum
an election whereby the state legislature submits proposed legislation or state constitutional amendments to the voters for approval
Recall
an election in which voters can remove an incumbent from office prior to the next scheduled election
Electoral college
representatives of each state who cast the final ballots that actually elect a president
Elector
member of the Electoral College
Reappointment
the reallocation of the number of seats in the House of Representatives after each decennial census
Incumbency
already holding an office
Presidential coattails
when successful presidential candidates carry into office congressional candidates of the same party in the year of their election
Barack Obama
the first African American president of the US, a Democrat, who served as forty-fifth president from 2009 to 2017. Senator from Illinois from 2005 to 2008; member of the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004.
Mid-term election
an election that takes place in the middle of a presidential term
Campaign manager
the individual who travels with the candidate and coordinates the campaign
Finance chair
the individual who coordinates the financial business of the campaign
Press secretary
the individual charged with interacting and communicating with journalists on a daily basis
Campaign consultant
a private-sector professional who sells to a candidate the technologies, services, and strategies required to get that candidate elected
Pollster
a campaign consultant who conducts public opinion surveys
Voter canvas
the process by which campaign reaches individual voters, either by door-to-door solicitation or by telephone
Get-out-the-vote (GOTV)
a push at the end of a political campaign to encourage supporters to go to the polls
Bernie Sanders
longest serving independent in the US Congress. Ran against Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary; senator from Vermont since 2007; first elected to the House of Representatives in 1991
Positive ad
advertising on behalf of a candidate that stresses the candidate’s qualifications, family, and issue positions, with no direct reference to the opponent
Negative ad
advertising on behalf of a candidate that attacks the opponent’s character or platform
Contrast ad
ad that compares the records and proposals of the candidates, with a bias toward the candidate sponsoring the ad
Inoculation ad
advertising that attempts to counteract an anticipated attack from the opposition before the attack is launched
Federal election campaign act (FECA)
passed in 1971, this is the primary law that regulates political campaign spending and fundraising. The law originally focused or increased disclosure of contributions for federal campaigns.
Federal election commission (FEC)
an independent regulatory agency founded in 1975 by the US Congress to regulate the campaign finance legislation in the US
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)
passed in 2002, this act amended the federal election campaign act of 1971 with several provisions designed to end the use of nonfederal, or “soft money”
Citizens United v. FEC
the 2010 US Supreme Court case that enabled corporations and unions have the same political speech rights as individuals under the 1st amendment. As part of this ruling, the Supreme Court found that the government may not prohibit corporations or unions from using their general treasury funds to support or denounce political candidates in elections
McCutcheon v FEC
the 2014 Supreme Court ruling that declared Section 441 of the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) unconstitutional. Section 441 imposed limits on any individual’s total political contributions (to federal candidates, parties, or political action committees) in a two-year period
Political action committee (PAC)
officially recognized fund-raising organizations that represent interest groups and are allowed by federal law to make contributions directly to candidates’ campaigns
527 political committee
organizations created with the primary purpose of influencing electoral outcomes; the term is typically applied only to freestanding interest groups that do not explicitly advocate for the election of a candidate
501(c) group
interest groups whose primary purpose is not electoral politics
Super PAC
political action committees established to make independent expenditures
Independent expenditures
spending for campaign activity that is not coordinated with a candidate’s campaign
Public funds
donations from general tax revenues to the campaigns of qualifying presidential candidates
Matching funds
donations to presidential campaigns whereby every dollar raised from individuals in amounts less than $251 is matched by the federal treasury
Conventional political participation
activism that attempts to influence the political process through commonly accepted forms of persuasion such as voting or letter writing
Unconventional political participation
activism that attempts to influence the political process through unusual or extreme measures, such as protests, boycotts, and picketing
Turnout
the proportion of the voting-age public that casts a ballot
Retrospective judgment
a voter’s evaluation of a candidate based on past performance on a particular issue
Prospective judgment
a voter’s evaluation of a candidate based on what he or she pledges to do about an issue if elected
Front-loading
the tendency of states to choose an early date on the nomination calendar
Help America Vote Act (HAVA)
a federal law passed in 2002 that addresses issues of voting systems and voter access that were identified following the 2000 election. It established minimum election administration standards for states and units of local government with responsibility for the administration of federal elections for other purposes related to the bill
Communications director
the person who develops the overall media strategy for the candidate
