Terms Unit 2 Flashcards
Australian ballot
Secret ballot printed at the expense of the state
Balancing the ticket
Occurs when a presidential nominee chooses a Vice President 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 parties
Caucus
Local party meeting
Closed primary
Party election to choose candidates that is closed to independents
Coattail effect
The influence of a popular presidential candidate on the election of congressional candidates of the same party
Demographics
Characteristics of a population
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 people choose candidates for office
Fixed terms
Terms of office that have a definite length time
Front loading
Scheduling presidential primary elections early in an election year
Gender gap
Difference in voting patterns for men and women
General election
Election in which the officeholders are chosen
Hard money
Campaign contributors donated directly to candidates
Ideology
Set of beliefs about political values and the role of the government
Incumbent
An officeholder that is seeking reelection
Independent
One that is not registered with a political party
Issue advocacy ads
Ads that focus on issues and do not explicitly encourage citizens to vote for a certain candidate
Open primary
Election to choose candidates that is open to independents, in which voters may choose candidates from any one party
Party identification
A sense of affiliation that a person has with a particular political party
Party platform
A list of positions and programs that a party adopts at the national convention; each position is called a plank
Political culture
The widely shared beliefs, valid, and norms that citizens share about their government
Plurality
More votes than anyone else, but less than half.
Political efficacy
Capacity to understand and influence political events
Political socialization
Process in which one acquires his/her belief
Realigning (“critical”) election
An election in which there is a long term change in party alignment
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. Winner-takes-all rule
Soft money
Campaign contributions that are not donated directly to the candidates, but to the parties
Solid South
Historically, the South vote solidly Democratic. However, the south is now strongly Republican. Bush, 2000.
Split ticket voting
Casting votes for candidates of ones own party and for candidates of opposing parties
Straight ticket voting
Casting votes for candidates of one party
Suffrage
The right to vote
Super delegate
A delegate to the Democratic national convention who is there by virtue of holding an office
Super Tuesday
A Tuesday in early march in which many if the presidential primaries, particularly in the South, are held
Swing state
A state does not consistently vote either Democratic or Republican in presidential elections
Attentive Public
Those who follow politics and public affairs carefully
