Political Parties/ Interest Groups/ Elections Flashcards
Balancing the ticket
occurs when a presidential nominee chooses a vice presidential running mate who has different qualities in order to attract more votes for the ticket.
Blanket primary
election to choose candidates that is open to independents, and that allows voters to choose candidates from all the parties.
Caucus
local party meeting
Closed Primary
party election to choose candidates that is closed to independents. Voters may not cross party lines
Coattail Effect
the influence of a popular presidential candidate on the election of congressional candidates of the same party.
Dealignment
People turn away from the major political parties
Divided Government
government in which one party controls the presidency while another party controls the Congress.
Direct Election
election of an official directly by the people rather than by an intermediary group such as the Electoral College.
Direct Primary
election in which the people choose candidates for office.
Fixed terms
terms of office that have a definite length of time, e.g., two years for a member of the House.
Free Rider Problem
the problem faced by interest groups when citizens can reap the benefits of interest group action without actually joining, participating in, or contributing money to such groups.
Front Loading
scheduling presidential primary elections early (e.g., February or March) in an election year.
General Election
election in which the officeholders are chosen
Gridlock
opposing parties block each others proposals
Hard Money
campaign contributions donated directly to candidates.
Horse Race Coverage
the tendency of the media to report on an election campaign as if it were a horse race, i.e., who is ahead, who is behind, who is gaining ground.
Incumbent
an officeholder who is seeking reelection.
Issue Advocacy Ads
ads that focus on issues and do not explicitly encourage citizens to vote for a certain candidate.
Litigation
the act or process of carrying out a lawsuit.
Lobbying
attempting to influence policy makers
Nonpartisan elections
elections in which candidates are not identified by party membership on the ballot.
Open Primary
election to choose candidates that is open to independents, and in which voters may choose candidates from any one party.
Party Platform
a list of positions and programs that the party adopts at the national convention. Each position is called a plank.
Pluralism
theory that policy making is the result of interest group competition.
Political Action Committee (PAC)
an interest group that raises funds and donates to election campaigns.
Patronage
appointing loyal party members to government positions
Plurality
more votes than anyone else, but less than half, e.g., Clinton won a plurality (43%) of popular votes in 1992, but not a majority.
Plurality Elections
such as those for Congress are won by the person with the most votes, regardless of the majority.
Realigning (“critical”) election
an election in which there is a long term change in party alignment, e.g., 1932.
Revolving Door
the cycle in which a person alternately works for the public sector and private sector, thus blurring the individual’s sense of loyalty.
Safe Seat
an office that is extremely likely to be won by a particular candidate or political party.
Single Member District System
system in which the people elect one representative per district. With a winner-take-all rule, this system strengthens the two major parties and weakens minor parties.
Soft Money
campaign contributions that are not donated directly to candidates, but are instead donated to parties.
Solid South
historically, the South voted Democratic. However, the South is now strongly Republican
Superdelegate
a delegate to the Democratic national convention who is there by virtue of holding an office.
Supermajority
a majority greater than a simple majority of one over half, e.g., 3/5, 2/3.
Super Tuesday
a Tuesday in early March in which many presidential primaries, particularly in the South, are held.
