POLS 3030 Ch. 4-7 Key Terms Flashcards
Actions through which ordinary members of a political system attempt to influence decisions.
Participation
Using social media, especially twitter to raise public awareness of an issue.
Hashtag Activism
A person who enjoys the benefit of a public good without bearing the cost.
Free Rider
A dense network of reciprocal social relations that promotes greater civic engagement.
Social Capital
The law that effectively enfranchised by giving the national government the power to decide whether individuals are qualified to vote and to intercede in state and local electoral operations when necessary.
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Adults eighteen years of age and older.
Voting-age Population
The voting-age population excluding those who are non-citizens, and depending on a state’s law, convicted felons or mentally incompetent.
Voting-eligible Population
The number of uncounted, unmarked, or spoiled ballots in an election.
Residual Votes
The electoral mechanism for selecting party nominees to compete in the general election.
Primary System
A primary in which only voters registered in the party are allowed to participate.
Closed Primary
Voters decide which party’s primary they will participate in.
Open Primary
A second election pitting the top two vote-getters from a first election in which no candidate received a majority of the votes cast.
Runoff Election
Voters use preference rankings to select candidates at a single election.
Instant Runoff
The number if votes (though necessarily a majority) cast for the winning candidate in an election with more than two candidates.
Plurality
A state election provision that allows candidates to run on more than one party ticket.
Fusion
The tendency of a winning (or losing) presidential candidate to carry state candidates of the same party into (or out of) office.
Coattail Effect
An election without party labels.
Nonpartisan Election
Nonpartisan political organizations that endorse and promote a state of candidates.
Slating Groups
A special type of referendum whereby citizens can petition to vote on actions taken by legislative bodies.
Popular Referendum
A procedure whereby a governing body submits proposed laws, constitutional amendments, or bond issues to the voters for ratification.
Referendum
A procedure that allows citizens to vote elected officials out of office before their terms have expired.
Recall
Statutes that open the meetings of government bodies to the public.
Open Meeting Laws
Acts that standardize administrative agency operations as a means of safeguarding clients and the general public.
Administrative Procedure Laws
An organization created by government to involve members of the public in studying and recommending solutions to public problems.
Advisory Committee
A small group of individuals assembled to provide opinion and feedback about specific issues in government. Participants are often paid for their time.
Focus Group
A form of participation in which individuals or groups donate time or money to a public purpose.
Volunteerism
Organizations that nominate candidates to compete in elections, and promote policy ideas.
Political Parties
Core beliefs about the nature and role of the political system.
Ideology
Voting for candidates of different political parties in a general election.
Ticket Splitting
A conservative/libertarian grassroots political movement whose supporters favor smaller government.
Tea Party
Both houses of the legislature and the governor’s office are controlled by the same party.
Unified Government
One party controls the governor’s office and the other party controls the legislature or each party controls one legislative chamber.
Divided Government
The weakening of an individuals attachment to political parties.
Dealignment
Organizations of like-minded individuals who desire to influence government.
Interest Groups
The process by which groups and individuals attempt to influence policy makers.
Lobbying
Group mobilization of citizens to contact public officials on behalf of shared public policy views.
Grassroots Lobbying
Organizations that raise and distribute campaign funds to candidates for elective office.
Political Action Committees (PACs)
Nonprofit, tax-exempt political organization set up to accept contributions and make expenditures in campaigns, although not explicitly connected to candidates.
527 Groups
A form of participation designed to draw attention to a cause.
Direct Action
Unregulated funds contributed to national political parties and nonparty political groups.
Soft Money
Legislative assistance on behalf of constituents who have a problem or grievance with a state agency.
Casework
Legislative districts containing more than one seat.
Multimember Districts (MMDs)
Skewed legislative districts that violate the “one person, one vote” ideal.
Malapportionment
The reallocation of seats in a legislative assembly.
Reapportionment
The redrawing of legislative district lines to conform as closely as possible to the “one person, one vote” ideal.
Redistrict
The process of creatively designing a legislative district, usually to enhance the electoral fortunes of the party in power.
Gerrymander
An elected official who cannot serve beyond the current term of office.
Lame Duck
A stash of funds accumulated in advance of a campaign.
War Chest
A legislator who functions as a conduit for constituency opinion.
Delegate
A legislator who votes according to his or her conscience and best judgement.
Trustee
A legislator who functions as either a delegate or a trustee, as circumstances dictate.
Politico
People who bring new ideas to a policy-making body.
Policy Entrepreneurs
An action whereby the legislature overturns a state agency’s rules or regulations.
Legislative Veto
Statutes that set automatic expiration dates for specified agencies and other organizations.
Sunset Laws
Favoritism by a governor or other elected official in distributing government monies or other resources to a particular program, jurisdiction, or individual.
Pork Barrel
Powers of the governor derived from the state constitution or statute.
Formal Powers
Powers of the governor not derived from constitutional or statutory law.
Informal Powers
A system in which more than one member of the executive branch is popularly elected on a statewide ballot.
Plural Executive
The informal power of a governor (or other officeholder) to make appointments on the basis of party membership and to dispense contracts or other favors to political supporters.
Patronage
The governor’s formal power to veto a bill in its entirety.
Package Veto
The governor’s formal power to veto separate items in a bill instead of the entire piece of proposed legislation.
Line Item Veto
The governor’s power to withhold approval or disapproval of a bill after the legislature has adjourned for the session, in effect vetoing the measure.
Pocket Veto
A type of veto used by the governor to reject a bill and also to recommend changes that would cause the governor to consider the bill’s approval.
Executive Amendment
A rule, regulation, or policy issued unilaterally by the governor to change executive branch operations or activities.
Executive Order
