Chapter 9: Parties Flashcards
Group organized to nominate candidates, win elections, and promote public policy ideas
Political party
Representation system in other countries where vote percentages correlate to power percentage in govt (5% minimum threshold)
Proportional representation
Winner gets the most votes - winner take all
Plurality
System where two parties vie for power, with only one winner
Two-party system
System outside the US that uses proportional representation to account for more parties
Multiparty system
Area which votes for one rep
Single-member district
“First past the post” elections
Single member plurality elections
Concept that in single member plurality districts, there are only 2 parties fighting for the seat. Votes for loser are “wasted”
Duverger’s law
Must receive 5% of the vote for government funding. Provide new ideas but never win
Minor parties
Party formed in opposition to policy or issue
Protest party
Party derived from another sharing ideals
Splinter party
When a party gains a majority over the other, supplanting the previously dominant one
Realignment
Dominated by working-class, surrounding great depression, democrat dominance
New Deal Party Era
Working class that made the New Deal Party Era possible
New Deal Coalition
Era in which two main parties narrowed down their ideals to be more consistent
Transitional era
When the anti-civil rights states flipped from democrat to republican
Southern realignment
When different parties control different majorities in the government
Divided government
Cooperation between parties
Bipartisanship
Era in which the two parties diverged further, becoming much more opposed and sharing less common ground
Polarization era
A firm and organized set of beliefs surrounding government that most Americans do not completely possess
Political ideology
Mental rules that one uses to make quick judgements
Heuristics
The belief that the government should play more of a role in our lives and assist the people to a greater extent
Liberalism
Voters who do not identify with either party but tend towards one or the other
Partisan leaners
People who influence party decisions, elected and unelected
Party leaders