elections and campaigns Flashcards
political participation
the many different ways that people take part in politics and government
voting-age population (VAP)
citizens who are eligible to vote after reaching the minimum age requirement
voting-eligible population (VEP)
citizens who have reached the minimum age to be eligible to vote, excluding those who are not legally permitted to cast a ballot
literacy test
a requirement that citizens show that they van read before registering to vote
poll tax
a requirement that citizens pay a tax in order to register to vote
grandfather clause
a clause in registration laws allowing people who do not meet regisration requirements to vote if they or their ancestors had voted before 1867
white primary
the practice of keeping blacks from voting in the southern states’ primaries through arbitrary use of registration requirements and intimidation
australian ballot
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
voter identification laws
laws requiring citizens to show a government-issued photo ID in order to vote
caucus
a meeting of party followers in which party delegates are selected
momentum
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
retrospective voting
voting for a candidate because you like his or her past actions in office
prospective voting
voting for a candidate because you favor his or her ideas for handling issues
valence issue
an issue on which everyone agrees, but the question in whether or not embraces that view
positional issues
an issue in which rival candidates have opposing views but that also divides the voters
incumbent
the person already holding an elective office
incumbency advantage
the tendency of incumbents to do better than otherwise similar challengers, especially in congressional elections
gerrymandering
drawing the boundaries of legislative districts in bizarre or unusual shapes to favor one party
surge and decline
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)
coattails
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
political action committees (PACs)
a committee set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations
independent expenditures
spending by political action committees, corporations, or labor unions to help a party or candidate but done independently of them
soft money
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
527 organizations
organizations under section 527 of the internal revenue code that raise and spend money to advance political causes
