Political Parties

Question 1

bipartisanship

Answer 1

a process of cooperation through compromise

Question 2

critical election

Answer 2

an election that represents a sudden, clear, and long-term shift in voter allegiances

Question 3

divided government

Answer 3

a condition in which one or more houses of legislature is controlled by the party in opposition to the executive

Question 4

first-past-the-vote

Answer 4

a system in which the winner of an election is the candidate who wins the greatest number of votes cast, also known as plurality voting

Question 5

gerrymandering

Answer 5

the manipulation of legislative districts in an attempt to favor a particular candidate

Question 6

majoritarian voting

Answer 6

a type of election in which the winning candidate must receive at least 50 percent of the votes, even if a run-off election is required

Question 7

majority party

Answer 7

the legislative party with over half the seats in a legislative body, and thus significant power to control the agenda

Question 8

minority party

Answer 8

the legislative party with less than half the seats in a legislative body

Question 9

moderate

Answer 9

an individual who falls in the middle of the ideological spectrum

Question 10

party identifiers

Answer 10

individuals who represent themselves in public as being part of a party

Question 11

party organization

Answer 11

the formal structure of the political party and the active members responsible for coordinating party behavior and supporting party candidates

Question 12

party platform

Answer 12

the collection of a party’s positions on issues it considers politically important

Question 13

party polarization

Answer 13

the shift of party positions from moderate towards ideological extremes

Question 14

party realignment

Answer 14

a shifting of party alliances within the electorate

Question 15

party-in-government

Answer 15

party identifiers who have been elected to office and are responsible for fulfilling the party’s promises

Question 16

party-in-the-electorate

Answer 16

members of the voting public who consider themselves part of a political party or who consistently prefer the candidates of one party over the other

Question 17

personal politics

Answer 17

a political style that focuses on building direct relationships with voters rather than on promoting specific issues

Question 18

plurality voting

Answer 18

the election rule by which the candidate with the most votes wins, regardless of vote share

Question 19

political machine

Answer 19

an organization that secures votes for a party’s candidates or supports the party in other ways, usually in exchange for political favors such as a job in government

Question 20

political parties

Answer 20

organizations made up of groups of people with similar interests that try to directly influence public policy through their members who seek and hold public office

Question 21

precinct

Answer 21

the lowest level of party organization, usually organized around neighborhoods

Question 22

proportional representation

Answer 22

a party-based election rule in which the number of seats a party receives is a function of the share of votes it receives in an election

Question 23

reapportionment

Answer 23

the reallocation of House seats between the states to account for population changes

Question 24

redistricting

Answer 24

the redrawing of electoral maps

Question 25

safe seat

Answer 25

a district drawn so members of a party can be assured of winning by a comfortable margin

Question 26

sorting

Answer 26

the process in which voters change party allegiances in response to shifts in party position

Question 27

third parties

Answer 27

political parties formed as an alternative to Republican and Democratic parties, also known as minor parties

Question 28

two-party system

Answer 28

a system in which two major parties win all or almost all elections