Elections & Political Socialization Vocab Flashcards
conservative ideology
generally advocate for the preservation of personal wealth and private ownership (Capitalism) and emphasize self-reliance and Individualism
liberal ideology
generally advocates for government action in protecting and enhancing the freedom of the individual
libertarian ideology
wishes to maximize personal liberty on both economic and social issues. Prefers small, weak government that hs limited control over economy or personal lives
party-line voting
voting only for candidates of a given party
prospective voting
voting based on what a candidate states they will do
rational choice voting
voting based on what is an individual’s best interest
retrospective voting
voting based on a candidate’s past actions
proportional voting
a party gains representation based on the proportion of votes it wins
winner-take-all-voting
a party must win the majority of the votes to get any representation
sue network
an alliance of various interest groups and individuals who unite to promote a common cause or agenda in a way that influences government policy
iron triangle
a mutually beneficial, three-way relationship between Congress, government bureaucrats, and special interest lobby groups
opinion polls
interviews or surveys with samples of citizens that are used to estimate the feelings and beliefs of the entire population
benchmark or tracking polls
continuous surveys of a consistent group that enables a campaign or news organization to chart a candidate’s daily rise or fall in support
entrance and exit polls
election-related questions asked of voters right before or right after they vote
identification of respondents
how they find and determine who gets surveyed
mass survey
traditional pol
focus group
small group of people who are asked about candidates and issues in a discussion
sampling error
the difference between the results of random samples taken at the same time
horse races
based more on popularity and factors other than the qualifications and platforms of candidates
wagon effect
a shift in electoral support to the candidate when public opinion polls report as the front-runner
globalization
absorbing the values of other countries
generational effect
a long-lasting effect of the events of a particular time on the political opinions of those who came of political age at that time
life cycle effects
changes in opinions or patterns of behavior that occur among most people at major points in their life like marriage, parenthood, or retirement
incumbency advantage phenomenon
incumbents usually win because of easier access to money, franking privileges, name recognition, etc.
open primary
a primary election in which voters can vote for candidates from any party they choose
closed primary
a primary election in which voters must first declare to which party they belong
caucus
a system of local gatherings where votes decide which candidate to support and select delegates for nominating conventions
