Chapter 9 Vocab

Question 1

A commission formed at the 1968 Democratic convention in response to demands for reform by minority groups and others who sought better representation.

Answer 1

McGovern-Fraser Commission

Question 2

National party leaders who automatically get a delegate slot at the national party convention.

Answer 2

superdelegates

Question 3

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.

Answer 3

invisible primary

Question 4

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.

Answer 4

caucus

Question 5

Elections in which a state’s voters go to the polls to express their preference
for a party’s nominee for president.

Answer 5

presidential primaries

Question 6

The recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media attention.

Answer 6

frontloading

Question 7

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.

Answer 7

party platform

Question 8

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

Answer 8

direct mail

Question 9

Donations that are made directly to a candidate or a party and that must be reported to the FEC.

Answer 9

campaign contributions

Question 10

Expenses on behalf of a political message that are made by groups that are uncoordinated with any candidate’s campaign.

Answer 10

independent expenditures

Question 11

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.

Answer 11

Federal Election Campaign Act

Question 12

Groups that raise money from individuals and then distribute it in the form of contributions to candidates that the group supports.

Answer 12

political action committees

Question 13

A six-member bipartisan agency created by the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974. It administers and
enforces campaign finance laws.

Answer 13

Federal Election Commission

Question 14

Political contributions earmarked for party-building expenses at the grassroots level or for generic party advertising.

Answer 14

soft money

Question 15

Independent political groups that are not subject to contribution restrictions
because they do not directly seek the election of particular candidates.

Answer 15

527 groups

Question 16

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.

Answer 16

Citizens United v. Federal

Election Commission

Question 17

Groups that are exempted from reporting their contributions and can receive unlimited contributions.

Answer 17

501(c) groups

Question 18

Independent expenditure-only PACs

- given their name because they may accept donations of any size and can endorse candidates.

Answer 18

Super PACs

Question 19

The phenomenon that people’s beliefs often guide what they pay the most attention to and how they interpret events.

Answer 19

selective perception

Question 20

The legal right to vote in the United States, gradually extended to virtually all citizens over the age of 18.

Answer 20

suffrage

Question 21

The belief that one’s political participation really matters-that one’s vote can actually make a difference.

Answer 21

political efficacy

Question 22

The belief that in order to support democratic government, a citizen should vote.

Answer 22

civic duty

Question 23

A system adopted by the states that requires voters to register prior to
voting.

Answer 23

voter registration

Question 24

A 1993 act that requires states to permit people to register to vote when they apply for a driver’s license.

Answer 24

Motor Voter Act

Question 25

The idea that the winning candidate has a mandate from the people to carry out his or her platforms and
politics.

Answer 25

mandate theory of elections

Question 26

Electoral choices that are made on the basis of the voters’ policy preferences and where the candidates stand on policy issues.

Answer 26

policy voting

Question 27

A unique American institution created by the Constitution, providing for the selection of the president by electors chosen by the state parties.

Answer 27

Electoral College

Question 28

The key states that the presidential campaigns focus on because they are most likely to decide the outcome of the Electoral College vote.

Answer 28

battleground states