Chapter 12 AP GOV vocab

Question 1

501 (c) group

Answer 1

Types of Advocacy Groups. 501(c) Groups — Nonprofit, tax-exempt groups organized under section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code that can engage in varying amounts of political activity, depending on the type of group.

Question 2

527 political committees

Answer 2

A 527 group is created primarily to influence the selection, nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates to federal, state or local public office.

Question 3

Barack Obama

Answer 3

Barack Hussein Obama II is an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017.

Question 4

Bernie Sanders

Answer 4

Bernard Sanders is an American politician serving as the junior United States Senator from Vermont since 2007.

Question 5

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)

Answer 5

The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 is a United States federal law that amended the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974, which regulates the financing of political campaigns.

Question 6

campaign consultant

Answer 6

Political consultants sometimes act as political strategists, a senior political consultant who promote the election of certain candidates or the interests of certain groups.

Question 7

campaign manager

Answer 7

campaign manager or campaign director is a paid or volunteer individual whose role is to coordinate a political campaign’s operations such as fundraising, advertising, polling, getting out the vote (with direct contact to the public), and other activities supporting the effort, directly.

Question 8

Citizens United v. FEC

Answer 8

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 310, is a landmark U.S. constitutional law, campaign finance, and corporate law case dealing with regulation of political campaign spending by organizations.

Question 9

closed primary

Answer 9

A type of direct primary limited to registered party members, who must declare their party affiliation in order to vote.

Question 10

communications director

Answer 10

A director of communications is responsible for managing and directing an organization’s internal and external communications. Directors of communications supervise public relations staff, create communication strategies, and may serve as the key spokesperson and media contact for the organization.

Question 11

Contrast ad

Answer 11

Advertising on behalf of a candidate that attacks the opponent’s platform or character

Question 12

conventional political participation

Answer 12

Relatively routine political behavior that uses institutional channels and is acceptable to the dominant culture

Question 13

crossover voting

Answer 13

n primary elections in the United States, crossover voting refers to a behavior in which voters cast ballots for a party with which they are not traditionally affiliated.

Question 14

Donald J. Trump

Answer 14

Donald John Trump is the 45th and current President of the United States.

Question 15

elector

Answer 15

a person who has the right to vote in an election.

Question 16

electorate

Answer 16

all the people in a country or area who are entitled to vote in an election.

Question 17

Electorate College

Answer 17

The United States Electoral College is a body of electors established by the United States Constitution, constituted every four years for the sole purpose of electing the president and vice president of the United States.

Question 18

Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA)

Answer 18

The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 is the primary United States federal law regulating political campaign spending and fundraising. The law originally focused on increased disclosure of contributions for federal campaigns.

Question 19

Federal Election Commission (FEC)

Answer 19

The Federal Election Commission is an independent regulatory agency whose purpose is to enforce campaign finance law in United States federal elections.

Question 20

finance chair

Answer 20

The finance committee chair is most often the board treasurer, whose specific duties are usually described in the organization’s bylaws.

Question 21

front-loading

Answer 21

distribute or allocate (costs, effort, etc.) unevenly, with the greater proportion at the beginning of the enterprise or process.

Question 22

general election

Answer 22

a regular election of candidates for office, as opposed to a primary election.

Question 23

get-out-the-vote (GOTV)

Answer 23

“Get out the vote” describes efforts aimed at increasing the voter turnout in elections

Question 24

Help America Vote Act (HAVA)

Answer 24

The Help America Vote Act of 2002, or HAVA, is a United States federal law which passed in the House 357-48 and 92-2 in the Senate and was signed into law by President Bush on October 29, 2002.

Question 25

Hillary R. Clinton

Answer 25

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is an American politician, diplomat, lawyer, writer, and public speaker.

Question 26

incumbency

Answer 26

the holding of an office or the period during which one is held.

Question 27

independent expenditures

Answer 27

An independent expenditure, in elections in the United States, is a political campaign communication that expressly advocates for the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate that is not made in cooperation, consultation or concert with or at the request or suggestion of a candidate

Question 28

initiative

Answer 28

Procedure whereby a certain number of voters may, by petition, propose a law or constitutional amendment and have it submitted to the voters.

Question 29

inoculation ad

Answer 29

A preemptive advertising tactic in which one party attempts to foresee and neutralize potentially damaging criticism from another party by being the first to confront troublesome issue

Question 30

mandate

Answer 30

an official order or commission to do something.

Question 31

matching funds

Answer 31

Matching funds are funds that are set to be paid in equal amount to funds available from other sources. Matching fund payments usually arise in situations of charity or public good.

Question 32

McCutcheon v. FEC

Answer 32

McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, 572 U.S. 185, is a landmark campaign finance decision of the United States Supreme Court

Question 33

mid-term election

Answer 33

Midterm elections in the United States are the general elections that are held near the midpoint of a president’s four-year term of office.

Question 34

negative ad

Answer 34

advertising on behalf of a candidate that attacks the opponent’s platform

Question 35

open primary

Answer 35

a primary election in which voters are not required to declare party affiliation.

Question 36

Political Action Committee (PAC)

Answer 36

In the United States and Canada, a political action committee is a 527 organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaigns for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation.

Question 37

Pollster

Answer 37

a person who conducts or analyzes opinion polls.

Question 38

Positive ad

Answer 38

Advertising on behalf of a candidate that stresses the candidate’s qualifications, family, and issue positions, without reference to the opponent.

Question 39

presidential coattails

Answer 39

The tendency for a popular political party leader to attract votes for other candidates of the same party in an election.

Question 40

press secretary

Answer 40

The White House Press Secretary is a senior White House official whose primary responsibility is to act as spokesperson for the executive branch of the United States government administration, especially with regard to the President, senior executives, and policies

Question 41

primary election

Answer 41

A primary election is the process by which voters, either the general public or members of a political party, can indicate their preference for a candidate in an upcoming general election or by-election

Question 42

prospective judgment

Answer 42

voter’s evaluation of a candidate based on what he or she pledges to do about an issue if elected

Question 43

public funds

Answer 43

donations from the general tax revenues to the campaigns of qualifying presidential candidates

Question 44

reapportionment

Answer 44

The process by which congressional districts are redrawn and seats are redistributed among states in the House. Reapportionment occurs every ten years, when census data reports shifts in the population of districts. Each district must have an equal number of residents.

Question 45

recall

Answer 45

A recall election (also called a recall referendum or representative recall) is a procedure by which, in certain polities, voters can remove an elected official from office through a direct vote before that official’s term has ended.

Question 46

referendum

Answer 46

a general vote by the electorate on a single political question which has been referred to them for a direct decision.