Chapter 9 Vocab Flashcards
A commission formed at the 1968 Democratic convention in response to demands for reform by minority groups and others who sought better representation.
McGovern-Fraser Commission
National party leaders who automatically get a delegate slot at the national party convention.
superdelegates
The period before any votes are cast when candidates compete to win early
support from the elite of the party and to create a positive first impression of
their leadership skills.
invisible primary
A system for selecting convention delegates used in about a dozen states in which voters must attend an open meeting to express their presidential
preference.
caucus
Elections in which a state’s voters go to the polls to express their preference
for a party’s nominee for president.
presidential primaries
The recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media attention.
frontloading
A political party’s statement of its goals and policies for the next four years. It is the best formal statement of a party’s beliefs.
party platform
A method of raising money for a political cause or candidate, in which information and requests for money are sent to people whose names appear on lists of those who have supported similar views or candidates in the past
direct mail
Donations that are made directly to a candidate or a party and that must be reported to the FEC.
campaign contributions
Expenses on behalf of a political message that are made by groups that are uncoordinated with any candidate’s campaign.
independent expenditures
A law passed in 197 4 for reforming campaign finances. The act created the Federal Election Commission and
provided for limits on and disclosure of campaign contributions.
Federal Election Campaign Act
Groups that raise money from individuals and then distribute it in the form of contributions to candidates that the group supports.
political action committees
A six-member bipartisan agency created by the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974. It administers and
enforces campaign finance laws.
Federal Election Commission
Political contributions earmarked for party-building expenses at the grassroots level or for generic party advertising.
soft money
Independent political groups that are not subject to contribution restrictions
because they do not directly seek the election of particular candidates.
527 groups
A 2010 landmark Supreme Court case that ruled that individuals, corporations, and unions could donate unlimited amounts of money to groups that make independent political expenditures.
Citizens United v. Federal
Election Commission
Groups that are exempted from reporting their contributions and can receive unlimited contributions.
501(c) groups
Independent expenditure-only PACs
- given their name because they may accept donations of any size and can endorse candidates.
Super PACs
The phenomenon that people’s beliefs often guide what they pay the most attention to and how they interpret events.
selective perception
The legal right to vote in the United States, gradually extended to virtually all citizens over the age of 18.
suffrage
The belief that one’s political participation really matters-that one’s vote can actually make a difference.
political efficacy
The belief that in order to support democratic government, a citizen should vote.
civic duty
A system adopted by the states that requires voters to register prior to
voting.
voter registration
A 1993 act that requires states to permit people to register to vote when they apply for a driver’s license.
Motor Voter Act
The idea that the winning candidate has a mandate from the people to carry out his or her platforms and
politics.
mandate theory of elections
Electoral choices that are made on the basis of the voters’ policy preferences and where the candidates stand on policy issues.
policy voting
A unique American institution created by the Constitution, providing for the selection of the president by electors chosen by the state parties.
Electoral College
The key states that the presidential campaigns focus on because they are most likely to decide the outcome of the Electoral College vote.
battleground states
