Chapter 9 Flashcards
Caucus
A meeting of party members to select delegates backing one or another primary candidate.
Congressional Campaign Committee
A party committee in Congress that provides funds to members and would-be members.
Critical or realignment period
Periods when a major, lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition supporting one or both parties.
ideological party
A party that values principled stands on issues above all else.
mugwumps
Republican party faction of the 1890s to the 1910s, composed of reformers who opposed patronage.
national chairman
Day-to-day party manager elected by the national committee.
national committee
Delegates who run party affairs between national conventions.
national convention
A meeting of party delegates held every four years.
office bloc ballot
A ballot listing all candidates of a given office under the name of that office; also called a “Massachusetts” ballot.
party column ballot
A ballot listing all candidates of a given party together under the name of that party; also called an “Indiana” ballot.
personal following
The political support provided to a candidate on the basis of personal popularity and networks.
plurality system
An electoral system in which the winner is that person who gets the most votes, even if he or she does not receive a majority; used in almost all American elections.
political machine
A party organization that recruits members by dispensing patronage.
political party
A group that seeks to elect candidates to public office.
solidary incentives
The social rewards (sense of pleasure, status, or companionship) that lead people to join political organizations.
split ticket
Voting for candidates of different parties for various offices in the same election.
sponsored party
A local or state political party that is largely supported by another organization in the community.
(United Auto Workers)
straight ticket
Voting for candidates who are all of the same party.
superdelegates
Party leaders and elected officials who become delegates to the national convention without having to run in primaries or caucuses.
two party system
An electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in national elections.
Hatch Act
Made it illegal for federal civil service employees to take an active part in political management by serving as party officers, soliciting campaign funds, running for partisan office, working in a partisan campaign,endorsing partisan candidates, taking voters to the polls, counting ballots, circulating nominating petitions, or being delegates to a party convention.
