ch.7

Question 1

caucus

Answer 1

face-to-face meetings of voters enrolled in a party who meet to choose a nominee.

Question 2

closed primary

Answer 2

a primary election in which only registered members of a political party may vote

Question 3

divided government

Answer 3

the condition in American government wherein the presidency is controlled by one party while the opposing party controls one or both houses of Congress

Question 4

electoral college

Answer 4

the presidential electors from each state who meet after the popular election to cast ballots for president and vice president

Question 5

electoral realignment

Answer 5

the point in history when a new party supplants the ruling party, becoming in turn the dominant political force. In the United States, this has tended to occur roughly every thirty years

Question 6

527 committee

Answer 6

nonprofit independent groups that receive and disburse funds to influence the nomination, election, or defeat of candidates. Named after Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, which defines and provides tax-exempt status for nonprofit advocacy groups

Question 7

incumbent

Answer 7

a candidate running for a position that he or she already holds

Question 8

majority party

Answer 8

the party that holds the majority of legislative seats in either the House or the Senate

Question 9

multiple member district

Answer 9

an electorate that selects all candidates at large from the whole district; each voter is given the number of votes equivalent to the number of seats to be filled

Question 10

nomination

Answer 10

the process through which political parties select their candidates for election to public office

Question 11

open primary

Answer 11

a primary election in which registered voters decide on the day of the primary in which party’s primary they will participate

Question 12

party identification

Answer 12

an individual voters psychological ties to one party or another

Question 13

plurality system

Answer 13

a type of electoral system in which, to win a seat in the parliament or other representative body, a candidate need only receive the most votes in the election, not necessarily

Question 14

plurality action committtee (PAC)

Answer 14

a private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns

Question 15

political parties

Answer 15

organized groups that attempt to influence the government by electing their members to important government offices

Question 16

primary elections

Answer 16

elections used to select a party’s candidate for the general election

Question 17

proportional representation

Answer 17

a multiplemember district system that allows each political party representation in proportion to its percentage of the total vote

Question 18

recall

Answer 18

removal of a public official by popular vote

Question 19

referendum

Answer 19

the practice of referring a measure proposed or passed by a legislature to the vote of the electorate for approval or rejection

Question 20

single-member district

Answer 20

an electorate that is allowed to select only one representative from each district; the normal method of representation in the United States

Question 21

suffrage/ franchise

Answer 21

the right to vote

Question 22

third parties

Answer 22

parties that organize to compete against the two major American political parties

Question 23

turnout

Answer 23

the percentage of eligible individuals who actually vote