Chapter 7 Flashcards
A private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns.
Political Action Committees (PACs)
Organized groups that attempt to influence the government by electing their members to important government offices.
Political Parties
A candidate running for reelection to a position that he or she already holds.
Incumbents
The process by which political parties select their candidates for election to public office.
Nomination
The party that holds the majority of legislative seats in either the House or the Senate.
Majority Party
The party that holds a minority of legislative seats in either the House or the Senate.
Minority Party
A political system in which only two parties have a realistic opportunity to compete effectively for control of the government.
Two-Party System
The point in history when a new party supplants the ruling party, becoming in turn the dominant political force; in the US, this has tended to occur roughly every 30 years.
Electoral Realignments
The condition in American government wherein the presidency is controlled by one party while the opposing party controls one or both houses of Congress.
Divided Government
Parties that organize to compete against the two major American political parties.
Third Parties
A multiple-member district system that allows each political party representation in proportion to its percentage of the total vote.
Proportional Representation
The right to vote; also called franchise.
Suffrage
The percentage of eligible individuals who actually vote.
Turnout
Status in society based on level of education, income, and occupational prestige.
Socioeconomic Status
The process by which large numbers of people are organized for a political activity.
Mobilization
Elections to select a party’s candidate for the general election.
Primary Elections
Under laws of most states, only registered members of a political party may vote in a primary election to select that party’s candidates.
Close Primary
A primary election in which the voter can wait until the day of the primary to choose which party to enroll in to select candidates for the general election.
Open Primary
A regularly scheduled election involving most districts in the nation or state, in which voters select officeholders; in the US, general elections for national office and most state and local offices are held on first Monday in November in even numbered years (every 4 years presidential elections)
General Election
A proposed law or policy change that is placed on the ballot by citizens or interest groups for a popular vote closed primary; a primary election in which voters can participate in the nomination of candidates, but only of the party in which they are enrolled for a period of time prior to primary day.
Ballot Initiative
A practice of referring a measure proposed or passed by a legislature to the vote of the electorate for approval or rejection.
Referendum
A procedure to allow voters to remove state officials from office before their terms expire by circulating petitions to call a vote.
Recall
The electors from each state who meet after the party supplants the ruling party, becoming in turn the dominant political force; in the US, this has tended to occur roughly every 30 years.
Electoral College
Non-profit independent groups that receive and disburse funds to influence the nomination, election, or defeat of candidates; named after Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, which defines and provides tax-exempt status for nonprofit advocacy groups.
527s
