Chapter Seven Flashcards
Ballot Fatigue
result when voter stops voting for offices and initiatives at the bottom of a long ballot
Caucus
form of candidate nomination that occurs in town-hall style format rather than a day-long election; usually reserved for presidential elections
Chronic Minority
voters who belong to political parties that tend not to be competitive in national elections because they are too small to become a majority/Electoral College system distribution in their state; ex: voting for the Green Party/Libertarian party
Closed Primary
election in which only voters registered with a party may vote for that party’s candidates
Coattail Effect
result when a popular presidential candidate helps candidates from the same party win their own elections`
Delegates
party members who are chosen to represent a particular candidate at the party’s state-or-national-level nominating convention
District system
means by which electoral votes are divided between candidates based on who wins districts and/or the state
Early Voting
accommodation that allows voting up to two weeks before Election Day
Electoral College
constitutionally created group of individuals, chosen by the states, with the responsibility of formally selecting the next US president
Incumbency Advantage
advantage held by officeholders that allows them to often win reelection
Incumbent
current holder of a political office
Initiative
law/constitutional amendment proposed/passed by the voters and subject to review by the state courts; AKA proposition
Midterm Elections
AKA congressional elections that occur in the even-numbered years between presidential election years, in the middle of the president’s term
Open Primary
elections in which any registered voter may vote in any party’s primary or caucus
Platform
set of issues important to the political party/party delegates
Political Action Committees(PACs)
organizations created to raise money for political campaigns/spend money to influence policy/politics
Recall
removal of a politician/govt official by the voters
Referendum
yes/no vote by citizens on a law/candidate proposed by the state government
Residency requirement
stipulation that citizen must live in a state for a determined period of time before a citizen can register to vote as a resident of that state
Shadow Campaign
campaign run by political action committees/other orgs without the coordination of the candidate
Straight-ticket voting
practice of voting only for candidates from the same party
Super PACs
known as the Independent Expenditure-Only Committees; orgs that can fundraise/spend as they please to support or attack a candidate but not contribute directly to a candidate or strategize with a candidate’s campaign.
Top-two primary
primary election where two candidates with the most votes, regardless of party, become the nominees for the general election AKA jungle primary
Voter Fatigue
result when voters grow tired of voting and stay home from the polls
Voting-age population
number of citizens over 18
Voting-eligible population
number of citizens eligible to vote
Winner-take-all system
all electoral votes for a state are given to the candidate who wins the most votes in that state
War Chest
campaign accounts registered with the Federal Election Commission, candidates allowed to keep earlier donations if they intend to run for office again.
Tillman Act(1907)
prohibited corporations from contributing money to candidates/how contributions were spent/what information would be disclosed to the public
Retrospective Voting
when voter looks at the candidate’s past actions and the past economic climate/makes a decision using these factors only
Pocketbook Voting
voters look at their personal finances/circumstances to decide how to vote
Prospective Voting
when the voter applies information abt a candidates past behavior to decide how candidate will act in the future
