Chapter 12 Political Parties Flashcards
An organized effort by office holders, candidates, activists, and voters to pursue their common interests by gaining and exercising power through the electoral process
political party
A party organization the recruits voter loyalty with tangible incentives and is characterized by a high degree of control over member activity
political machine
Politics that focuses on the candidates, their particular issues, and character rather than party affiliation
candidate-centered politics
Dramatic shifts in partisan preferences that dramatically alter the political landscape
party realignment
An election that signals a party realignment through voter polarization around new issues and personalities
critical election
The gradual rearrangement of party coalitions, based more on demographic shifts than on shocks to the political system
secular realignment
A party meeting held in the presidential election year for the purposes of nominating a presidential and vice presidential ticket and adopting a platform
national convention
Delegate to the Democratic Party’s national convention that is reserved for a party official and whose vote at the convention is unpledged to a candidate
superdelegate
Institutional collection of policy-oriented researchers and academics who are sources of policy ideas
think tank
A statement of the general and specific philosophy and policy goals of a political party, usually promulgated at the national convention
national party platform
A citizen’s personal affinity for a political party, usually expressed by a tendency to vote for the candidates of that party
Party identification
A voting system that apportions legislative seats according to the percentage of the vote won by a particular political party.
proportional representation
An electoral system in which the party that receives at least one more vote than any other party wins the election
winner-take-all system
A general decline in party identification and loyalty in the electorate.
dealignment
