elections and campaigns

Question 1

political participation

Answer 1

the many different ways that people take part in politics and government

Question 2

voting-age population (VAP)

Answer 2

citizens who are eligible to vote after reaching the minimum age requirement

Question 3

voting-eligible population (VEP)

Answer 3

citizens who have reached the minimum age to be eligible to vote, excluding those who are not legally permitted to cast a ballot

Question 4

literacy test

Answer 4

a requirement that citizens show that they van read before registering to vote

Question 5

poll tax

Answer 5

a requirement that citizens pay a tax in order to register to vote

Question 6

grandfather clause

Answer 6

a clause in registration laws allowing people who do not meet regisration requirements to vote if they or their ancestors had voted before 1867

Question 7

white primary

Answer 7

the practice of keeping blacks from voting in the southern states’ primaries through arbitrary use of registration requirements and intimidation

Question 8

australian ballot

Answer 8

a government-printed ballot of uniform dimensions to be cast in secret that many states adopted around 1890 to reduce voting fraud associated with party-printed ballots cast in public

Question 9

voter identification laws

Answer 9

laws requiring citizens to show a government-issued photo ID in order to vote

Question 10

caucus

Answer 10

a meeting of party followers in which party delegates are selected

Question 11

momentum

Answer 11

when a candidate wins (especially an upset win, s/he tends to do better than expected in future contests. sometimes also called the bandwagon effect

Question 12

retrospective voting

Answer 12

voting for a candidate because you like his or her past actions in office

Question 13

prospective voting

Answer 13

voting for a candidate because you favor his or her ideas for handling issues

Question 14

valence issue

Answer 14

an issue on which everyone agrees, but the question in whether or not embraces that view

Question 15

positional issues

Answer 15

an issue in which rival candidates have opposing views but that also divides the voters

Question 16

incumbent

Answer 16

the person already holding an elective office

Question 17

incumbency advantage

Answer 17

the tendency of incumbents to do better than otherwise similar challengers, especially in congressional elections

Question 18

gerrymandering

Answer 18

drawing the boundaries of legislative districts in bizarre or unusual shapes to favor one party

Question 19

surge and decline

Answer 19

the tendency for the president’s party to do better in presidential years when he is at the top of the ticket (the surge), but to do worse when he is not because many voters are less enthusiastic and stay home (the decline)

Question 20

coattails

Answer 20

the alleged tendency of candidates to win more votes in an election because of the presence at the top of the ticket of a better-known candidate, such as the president

Question 21

political action committees (PACs)

Answer 21

a committee set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations

Question 22

independent expenditures

Answer 22

spending by political action committees, corporations, or labor unions to help a party or candidate but done independently of them

Question 23

soft money

Answer 23

funds obtained by political parties that are spent on party activities, such as get-out-the-vote drives, but not on behalf of a specific candidate

Question 24

527 organizations

Answer 24

organizations under section 527 of the internal revenue code that raise and spend money to advance political causes

Question 25

super PAC

Answer 25

a group that raises and spends unlimited amounts of money from corporations, unions, and individuals but cannot coordinate its activities with campaigns in any way

Question 26

501(c)4

Answer 26

a social welfare organization that can devoter no more than 50 percent of its funds to politics. sometimes referred to as “dark money” groups because they do not have to disclose their donors