Chapter 10: Campaigns, Nominations, and Elections Flashcards
POLITICAL CONSULTANT
A paid professional hired to devise a campaign strategy and manage a campaign. Image building is the crucial task of the political consultant.
PRESIDENTAL PRIMARY
A statewide primary election of delegates to a political party’s national convention to help a party determine its presidential nominee. Such delegates are either pledged to a particular candidate or unpledged.
TRACKING POLL
A poll taken for the candidate on a nearly daily basis as Election Day approaches.
FOCUS GROUP
A small group of individuals who are led in discussion by a professional consultant to gather opinions and responses to candidates and issues.
CORRUPT PRACTICES ACTS
A series of acts past by Congress in an attempt to limit and regulate the size and sources of contributions and expenditures in political campaign.
HATCH ACT
The act passed in 1939 that prohibited a political group from spending more than $3 million in any campaign and limited individual contributions to a committee to a committee to $5,000. The act was designed to control political influence buying.
SOFT MONEY
Campaign contributions that evade contributions limits by being given to parties and party committees to help fund general party activities.
INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES
Nonregulated contributions from PACs, ideological organizations, and individuals. The groups may spend funds on advertising or other campaign activities so long as those expenditures are not coordinated with those of a candidate.
BUNDLING
The practice of adding together maximum individual campaign contributions to increase their impact on the candidate.
“BEAUTY CONTEST”
A presidential primary in which contending candidates compete for popular votes but the results have little or no impact on the selection of delegates to the national conventions, which is made by the party elite.
SUPERDELEGATE
A party leader or elected official who is given the right to vote at the party’s national convention. Superdelegates are not elected at the state level.
CAUCUS
A closed meeting of party leaders to select party candidates or to decide on policy; also, a meeting of party members designed to select candidates and propose policies.
FRONT-RUNNER
The PRESIDENTAL candidate who appears to have the most momentum at a given time in the primary season.
SUPER TUESDAY
The date on which a # of presidential primaries are held, including those of most of the southern states.
FRONT-LOADING
The practice of moving presidential primary elections to the early part of the campaign, to maximize the impact of certain states or regions on the nomination.
CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE
A committee used by political parties at their national conventions to determine which delegates may participate. The committee inspects the claim of each prospective delegate to be seated as a legitimate representative of his or her state.
ELECTOR
A person on the partisan slate that is selected early in the presidential election year according to state laws and the applicable political party apparatus. Electors cast ballots for president and Vice President. The number of electors in each state is equal to that state’s number of representatives in both chambers of Congress.
AUSTRALIAN BALLOT
A secret ballot prepared, distributed, and tabulated by government officials at public expense. Since 1888, all states have used the Australian ballot rather than an open, public ballot.
OFFICE-BLOCK, or MASSACHUSETTS, BALLOT
A form of general election ballot in which candidates for elective office are grouped together under the title of each office. It emphasizes voting for office and the individual, rather than for the party.
PARTY-COLUMN, or INDIANA, BALLOT
A form of general election ballot in which candidates for elective office are arranged in one column under their respective party labels and symbols. It emphasizes voting for the party, rather than for the office or individual.
COTTAIL EFFECT
The influence of a popular candidate on the electoral success of other candidates on the same party ticket. The effect is increased by the party-column ballot, which encourages straight-ticket voting.
VOTER TURNOUT
The percentage of citizens taking part in the election process; the number of eligible voters that actually “turn out” on Election Day to cast their ballots.
RATIONAL IGNORANCE EFFECT
When people purposely and rationally decide not to become informed on an issue because they believe that their vote on the issue is not likely to be a deciding one; a lack of incentive to seek the necessary information to cast an intelligent vote.
REGISTRATION
The entry of a person’s name onto the list of eligible voters for elections. Registration requires meeting certain legal requirements relating to age, citizenship, and residency.
SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS
A category of people within a society who have similar levels of income and similar types of occupations.
