Chapter 13 - Elections and Campaigns Flashcards
Median voter theorem
A mathematical result showing that the voter with the ideological preference in the middle of the ranking of voters must be satisfied and approve of a majority-rule winning outcome
Plurality rule
A method for determining an election’s winner in which the candidate who receives the most votes wins
Single-member district
An electoral district in which a single person is elected to a given office
Australian ballot
A type of ballot that lists all candidates running for each office and allows voters to cast their votes secretly and for specific individual candidates
Referendum
An election in which citizens vote directly on whether to overturn a bill or a constitutional amendment that has been passed by the legislature
Initiative
An election held to vote directly on a ballot proposition that was proposed by a group of individuals
Open primary
A primary election in which any registered voter can vote, regardless of party affiliation
Closed primary
A primary election in which only voters registered with the party can vote
Political action committee (PAC)
A type of organization regulated by the Federal Election Commission that raises money from donors to support the election campaigns of federal political candidates
Federal Election commission (FEC)
The federal agency that regulates campaign donations to and spending by candidates for Congress and the presidency
Super PACs
A type of organization regulated by the Federal Election Commission that can spend unlimited sums of money to advocate for the election or for the defeat of a candidate, but is prohibited from contributing funds directly to federal campaigns and parties
Hard money
Campaign funds that are given directly to candidates or parties to support a particular candidate, and thus are subject to FEC regulations
Soft money
Campaign funds that are given to parties or other organizations to support voter mobilization or voter education activities, and thus typically are not subject to FEC regulations
527s
Organizations that are independent of any party or candidate, and thus are not regulated by the FEC, as they
advocate publicly for or against specific candidates, parties, or policies
