Chapter 9: Campaigns And Elections

Question 1

General Elections

Answer 1

A regularly election to choose the US president, vice president, and senators and representative in Congress.

Question 2

Special Eleaction

Answer 2

An election that is held at the state or local level when the voters must decide an issue before the next general election or when vacancies occurs by reason of death or resignation

Question 3

Australian Ballot

Answer 3

A secret ballot that is prepared, distributed, and counted by government officials at public expense; used by all states in the US since 1888

Question 4

Poll Watcher

Answer 4

A representative from one of the political parties who is allowed to monitor a polling place to make sure that the election is run fairly and that fraud does not occur

Question 5

Elector

Answer 5

A member the electoral college

Question 6

Electoral College

Answer 6

The group of electors who are selected by the voters in each state to officially elect the president and vice- president. The number of electors in each state is equal to the number of that state’s representative in both chambers of Congress

Question 7

Winner-Take-All System

Answer 7

A system in which the candidate who receives the most votes win

Question 8

Caucus

Answer 8

A meeting held to choose political candidates or delegates

Question 9

Nominating Convention

Answer 9

An official meeting of a political party to choose its candidates. Nominating conventions at the state and local levels also select delegates to represent the citizens of their geographic areas at a higher-level party convetion

Question 10

Delegates

Answer 10

A person selected to represent the people of one geographic areas at a party convetion

Question 11

Election

Answer 11

An election in which voters choose the candidates of their party, who will then run in the general election

Question 12

Direct Primary

Answer 12

An election held within each of the two major parties to choose the party’s candidates for the general election

Question 13

Closed Primary

Answer 13

A primary in which only party members can vote to choose that party’s candidate

Question 14

Open Primary

Answer 14

A primary in which voters can vote for a party’s candidates regardless of whether they belong to the party

Question 15

Credential Committee

Answer 15

A committee of each national political party that evaluates the claims of national party convention delegates to be the legitimate representative of their state

Question 16

Political Consultant

Answer 16

A professional political adviser who, for a fee, works on an area of a candidate’s campaign

Question 17

Campaign Strategy

Answer 17

The comprehensive plan developed by a candidate and his or her advisers for winning an election

Question 18

Opposition Research

Answer 18

The attempt to learn damaging information about an opponent in a political campaign

Question 19

Soft Money

Answer 19

Campaign contribution not regulated by federal law, such as some contribution that are made to political parties instead of to particular candidates

Question 20

Independent Expenditure

Answer 20

An expenditure for activities that are independent from those of a political candidate or a political party