Chapter 10- Political parties Flashcards
Australian Ballot
Ballot used in American politics. Allows voters to vote in secret and choose between individuals of each party for each office.
Progressive movement
An effort to reform government by eliminating fraud, corruption, and inefficiency.
Secret ballot
Prevents parties from dominating the political process. Keeps voters privacy.
Candidate centered campaign
Seen as lacking in accountability but overflowing with special-interest money, slick advertising campaigns, and too much mudslinging. Campaigns which are centered around a candidate and their personality instead of parties and their policies.
Soft money
Money spent and raised by parties used for the purpose of general political activities, such as bumper stickers, mass mailings supportive of the party but not a particular candidate, and phone banks urging potential voters to get out and vote.
Caucus/Congressional caucus.
A caucus is a meeting of all members of a legislature from a particular political party.
Spoils system
A system of staffing government that rewards supporters with jobs and contracts
Open primary/closed primary
In an open primary any voter can choose to participate in either primary merely by declaring their intention after entering the voting place. An a closed primary, a person must be registered as a democrat or republican to participate in the primary.
Majority party
A party which has established clear dominance over the political landscape.
Minority party
The party that does not claim the allegiance of a majority of party identifiers.
Partisan realignment
A massive long term shift in voter allegiance from one party to another.
Interest aggregation
The process of bringing together various interests under one umbrella.
Interest articulation
The process of speaking on behalf of aggregated interest.
Coalition
A loose collection of groups to accomplish some common goal.
Party platform
A document that is developed at a party’s national convention and establishes what the party stands for.
Dealignment
The decline in importance of parties as a voting cue for most citizens.
Direct primary
A device to involve more people in the nomination process for parties. In a direct primary, party members vote for their preferred party nominee in a primary election that is held in winter or spring before a the party’s national convention.
Linkage institutions
Any intermediary organization that connects people with politics.
Third party candidate
A candidate who is neither a republican or Democrat who is still running for president.
Grassroots party politics
Activities that originate at the local level and work their way up through the party.
Loyal opposition
The role of the loyal opposition is to criticize the majority party, provide useful debate on legislation, and block the more extreme policies of the majority parties.
Party in government
The party in government consists of those office holders from a particular party.
McGovern-Fraser commission
The McGovern Fraser rules were designed to open the Democratic Party to wider participation by women, minorities, and young people. The rules also lessened the grip of traditional party bosses.
Multiparty systems
The system of government which most of the worlds democracies have.
