Government Ch 3 Flashcards
Closed primary
Only registered members of the political party can vote in that party’s primary election
Benefits - candidates represent ideology better; limits voter choice in elections
Caucus
Closed meetings of party members throughout th state to discuss and select delegates to national convention
Open primary
All registered voters can vote in primary election, regardless of party affiliation (sometimes must choose one primary or the other)
Benefits - more democratic
Downfall - vote raiding (members of one party might vote for other party to nominate the worst candidate)
Delegates
Individuals sent by voters to a convention to official nominate a party candidate for office
Electorate
The potential voting population (the people eligible to vote under current law)
General Election
Election in which all voters choose who will fill an elected public office
Hard money
campaign contributions regulated and limited by the federal government that are given directly to a candidate
Lobbyist
Person trying to influence the governments decisions
Party platform
a political party’s written statement of its official principles, plans and stances on major issues facing the country
Plurality
Candidate polls more votes than any other candidate
Political Action Committee
Organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates to campaign for or against candidates
Preclearance
states who have behaved badly before shall be subject to preclearance of all new voting laws by the Federal Government (History of literacy tests, poll taxes, grandfather clause, or who had less than 50% of their black population registered at the time
Primary election
elections in which voters decide which of the candidates within a party will represent the party in the general election
Run off Election
some states will hold elections between the top two vote getters if nobody wins a majority of the vote
Soft money
unlimited and unregulated campaign contributions given to federal candidates and national parties for “party building” activities (bumper stickers, etc
Super PACs
PACs that may raise and spend unlimited amounts of money in order to advocate for or against a political candidate without working directly with candidates
Suffrage
The right to vote
Name 6 Amendments that expanded suffrage
15th, 17th, 19th, 23rd, 24th, 26th
15th Amendment
This amendment was passed to grant voting freedom to people of all races in the U.S. It was meant to get rid of the denial by the national or state government of African American voting rights.
17th Amendment
This amendment gave the people the power to vote for their Senators, instead of the State Legislature.
19th Amendment
This amendment provided the right to vote for all U.S. citizens regardless of sex. It was important because it allowed women to vote.
23rd Amendment
After this amendment was passed, citizens of the District of Columbia were given the power to vote in Presidential elections for the first time.
24th Amendment
This amendment says that states can’t tax voters. This prevented Southern States from preventing poor African Americans from voting.
26th Amendment
This amendment lowered the required age to vote down to 18. Allows anyone that is 18 or older to vote without interference from the government.