Chapter 8 Key Terms Flashcards
party competition
the battle of the parties for control of public offices
political party
according to anthony downs, a “team of men seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election”.
linkage institutions
the channels through which people’s concerns become political issues on the government’s policy agenda.
party image
the voter’s perception of what the republican or democrats stand for
rational-choice theory
a popular theory in political science to explain the actions of voters as well as politicians.
party identification
a citizen’s self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other.
ticket-splitting
voting with one party for one office and with another party for other offices
party machines
a type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements, such as patronage, to win votes and to govern.
patronage
one of the key inducements used by party machines.
closed primaries
elections to select party nominees in which only people who have registered in advance with the party can vote for that party’s candidates, thus encouraging greater party loyalty
open primaries
elections to select party nominees in which voters can decide on election day whether they want to participate in the democratic or republican contests
blanket primaries
elections to select party nominees in which voters are presented with a list of candidates from all the parties.
national convention
the meeting of party delegates every four years to choose a presidential ticket and write the party’s platform
national committee
one of the institutions that keeps the party operating between conventions
national chairperson
the national chairperson is responsible for the day to day activities of the party and is usually handpicked by the presidential nominee
coalition
a group of individuals with a common interest upon which every political party depends
party eras
historical periods in which a majority of voters cling to the party in power, which tends to win a majority of the elections
critical election
an electoral “earthquake” where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party
party realignment
the displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period
new deal coalition
a coalition forged by the democrats, who dominated american politics from the 1930s to the 1960s
party dealignment
the gradual disengangement of people and politicians from the parties
party neutrality
a term used to describe the fact that many americans are indifferent toward to two major political parties
third parties
electoral contenders other than the two major parties
winner-take-all system
an electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who come in first in their constituencies
proportional representation
an electoral system used throughout most of europe that awards legislative seats to political parties in proportion to the number of votes won in an election
coalition government
when two or more parties join together to form a majority in a national legislature
responsible party model
a view favored by some political scientists about how parties should work.
