Chapter 8 Flashcards
Single-member district
And electoral district in which voters choose one representative or official
Proportional representation
An election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats correspondence with proportion of the vote
Elect oral college
The elect oral system used in electing the president and vice president in which voters vote for electors pledged to cast their ballots for a particular party’s candidates
Candidate appeal
Tendency in elections to focus on the person’s attributes of the candidate such as his or her strengths weaknesses background experience and visibility
National tide
The inclination to focus on national issues rather than local issues in an election campaign. The impact of a national title can be reduced by the nature of the candidates on the ballot who may have differentiated themselves from the party words leader if the tide is negative, as well as competition in the election
Name recognition
Incubants have an advantage over challengers in election campaigns because voters are more familiar with them and incumbents are more recognizable
Caucus
A meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform
National party convention
A national meeting of delegates selected in primaries, caucuses, or state convention who assemble once every four years to nominate candidates for president and vice president ratify the party platform elect officers and adopt rules
Federal election commission
A commission created by the 1974 amendments to the federal election campaign act minister election reform laws it consists of six commissioners appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. It’s duties include overseeing disclosure of campaign finance information public funding of presidential elections and enforcing contribution limits
Bipartisan campaign reform act
Large the band party soft money, restored a long-standing prohibition on corporations and labor unions for using general treasury funds for elect oral purposes, and narrow to the definition of issue advocacy
Soft money
Money raised in unlimited amounts by political parties for party building purposes. Now largely the illegal except for Limited contributions to state or local parties for voter registration and get out the vote efforts
Hardmoney
Political contributions given to a party candidate or interest group that are limited in amount and fully disclosed. Raising such limited funds is harder than raising unlimited funds hence the term hard money
Issue advocacy
Promoting a particular position or an issue paid for by the interest groups or individuals but not candidates. Much issue advocacy is often electioneering for or against a candidate avoiding words like vote for and until 2004 had not been subject to any regulation
Independent expenditures
Money spent by individuals or groups not associated with candidates to elect or defeat candidates for office
Super PACs
An independent expenditure only committee first allowed into thousand 10 after court decision allowed unlimited contributions to such PACs super PACs were important into the 2010 and 2012 elections
