Exam 2 Flashcards
public opinion
citizens’ views on politics and government actions
latent opinion
an opinion formed on the spot, when it is needed
political socialization
the process by which an individual’s political opinions are shaped by other people and the surrounding culture
mass survey
a way to measure public opinion by interviewing a relatively small sample of a large population
population
the group of people whom a researcher or pollster wants to study
sample
within a population, the group of people surveyed in order to gauge the whole population’s opinion
sampling error
the predicted difference between the average opinion expressed by survey respondents and the average opinion in the population, sometimes called margin of error
ideological polarization
sharp differences in Americans’ overall ideas of the size and scope of government
policy mood
the level of public support for expanding the government’s role in society; whether the public wants government action on a specific issue
party organization
a specific political party’s leaders and workers at the national, state, and local levels
party in government
the group of officeholders who belong to a specific political party and were elected as candidates of that party
party in the electorate
the group of citizens who identify with a special political party
party system
periods in which the names of major political parties, their supporters, and the issues dividing them have remained relatively stable
party principle
the idea that a political party exists as an organization distinct from its elected officials are party leaders
spoils system
the practice of rewarding party supporters with benefits like federal government positions
realignment
a change in the size or composition of the party coalitions or in the nature of the issues that divide the parties- typically occur within an election cycle but can also gradually occur over the course of time
national committee
an American political party’s principal organization, comprising party representative from each state
political action committee
an interest group or a division of an interest group that can raise money to contribute to campaigns or to spend on ads in support of candidates
527 organization
a tax-exempt group formed primarily to influence elections through voter mobilization efforts and issue ads that do not directly endorse or oppose candidates
caucus (congressional)
the organization of Democrats within the House and Senate that meet to discuss and debate the party’s positions on various issues in order to reach a consensus
conference
the organization of Republicans within the House and Senate that meet to discuss and debate the party’s positions on various issues in order to reach a consensus
unified government
a situation in which one party holds a majority of seats in the House and Senate and the president is a member of that same party
divided government
a situation in which the House, Senate, and presidency are not controlled by the same party
party identification
a citizen’s loyalty to a specific political party
party coalitions
the groups that identify with a political party, usually described in demographic terms such as evangelical Republicans
issue ownership
the theory that voters associate certain issues or issue positions with certain parties
primary election
a ballot vote in which citizens select a party’s nominee for the general election
caucus (electoral)
a local meeting in which party members select a party;s nominee for the general election
nominating convention
a meeting held by each party every four years at which states’ delegates select the party’s presidential and vice-presidential nominees and approve the party platform
party platform
a set of objectives outlining the party’s issue positions and priorities that are not required by candidates to support
duverger’s law
in any election where a single winner is chosen by plurality vote, there is a strong tendency for serious competitors to be reduced to two because people tend to vote strategically
incumbent
a politician running for reelection to the office he or she currently holds
primary
a ballot vote in which citizens select party’s nominee for the general election
open primary
a primary election in which any registered voter can participate in the contest, regardless of party affiliation
semi-closed primary
a primary in which anyone who is a registered member of the party or registered as independent can vote
closed primary
a primary election in which only registered members of a particular political party can vote
general election
the election in which voters cast ballots for House members, senators, and (every four years) a president and vice-president
plurality voting
a voting system in which the candidate who receives the most votes within a geographic area wins the election, regardless of whether that candidate wins a majority of the votes
majority voting
a voting system in which a candidate must win more than 50% of votes to win the election and results in a runoff election if no one wins the majority
runoff election
under a majority voting system, a second election is held only if no candidate wins a majority of the votes in the first general election and is the top two
caucus
a local meeting in which party members select a party’s nominee for the general election
proportional allocation
during the presidential primaries, the practice of determining the number of convention delegates allotted to each candidate based on the percentage of the popular vote cast for each candidate
winner-take-all
during the presidential primaries, the practice of assigning all of a given state’s delegates to the candidate who receives the most popular votes
popular vote
the votes cast by citizens in an election
electoral college
the body that votes to select America’s presidents and vice-president based on the popular vote in each state
electoral votes
votes cast by members of the electoral college; after a presidential candidate wins the popular vote in a given state, that candidate’s slate of electors casts electoral votes for the candidate on behalf of that state
election cycle
the two-year period between general elections
open seat
an elected position for which there is no incumbent
“get out the vote”/ground game
a campaign’s efforts to “get the vote out” or make sure they have supporters on election day
federal election commission
the government agency that enforces and regulates election laws; made up of 6 presidential appointees, of whom no more than 3 can be members of the same party
hard money
donations that are used to help elect or defeat a specific candidate
soft money
contributions that can be used for voter mobilization or to promote a policy proposal or point of view as long as these efforts are not tied to supporting or opposing a particular candidate
paradox of voting
the question of why citizens vote even though their individual votes stand little chance of changing the election outcome
voting cues
pieces of information about a candidate that are readily available, easy to interpret, and lead a citizen to decide to vote for a particular candidate
coattails
the ability of a popular president to generate additional support for candidates affiliated with his or her party however these are weak and nonexistent in most elections
split ticket
a ballot on which a voter selects from more than one political party
straight ticket
a ballot on which a voter selects candidates from only one political party
interest group
an organization of people who share common political interests and aim to influence public policy by electioneering and lobbying
lobbying
efforts to influence public policy through contact with public officials on behalf of an interest group
linkage institutions
institutions such as political parties, interest groups, the media, and elections that are channels through which individuals can communicate their preferences to policymakers
centralized groups
interest groups that have a headquarters, usually in DC, as well as members and field offices throughout the country
confederations
interest groups made up of several independent, local organizations that provide much of their funding and hold most of the power
mass associations
interest groups that have a large number of due-paying members
peak associations
interest groups whose members are businesses or other organizations rather than individuals
free riding
relying on others to contribute to a collective effort while failing to participate on one’s behalf, yet still benefiting from the group’s successes
selective incentives
benefits that can motivate participation in a group effort because they are available only to those who participate, such as member services offered by interest groups
solidary benefits
satisfaction derived from the experience of working with likeminded people, even if the group’s efforts do not achieve the desired impact
purposive benefits
satisfaction derived from the experience of working toward a desired policy goal, even if the goal is not achieved
coercion
a method of eliminating nonparticipation or free riding by potential group members requiring participation, as in many labor unions
material benefits
benefits that are provided to individuals for joining a group that are distinct from the collective benefits provided by the group
revolving door
the movement of individuals from government positions to jobs with interest groups or lobbying firms and vice versa
inside strategies
the tactics employed within DC by interest groups seeking to achieve their policy goals
outside strategies
the tactics employed outside DC by interest groups seeking to achieve their policy goals
direct lobbying
attempts by interest group staff to influence policy by speaking with elected officials or bureaucrats
grassroots lobbying
a lobbying strategy that relies on participation by group members, such as a protest or a letter-writing campaign
astroturf lobbying
any lobbying method initiated by an interest group that is designed to look like the spontaneous, independent participation of many individuals
