The election of the President Flashcards
entrench
enfoncer / enraciner
caveat
l’avertissement
shift
changement
to rule
statuer
binding
contraignant
ballot
A system or occasion of secret voting; also the piece of paper used to record a
person’s vote
brockered convention
Occurs when no candidate wins a majority in the first round of
delegate voting at the National Convention. Delegates are freed from their pledges and can
vote for whomever they choose in repeated rounds of voting until a candidate has a majority
Buckley v. Valeo 1976
The Supreme Court decision that ruled that limits on campaign
expenditures are unconstitutional, but limits on campaign contributions are constitutional. It
also allowed unlimited self-funding of campaigns.
Caucus
A meeting of party members to discuss and elect
delegates to county conventions, who in turn elect delegates to state conventions, where the
delegates for the National Convention are chosen
Chiafalo v. Washington 2020
The Supreme Court decision that ruled that states can
sanction and replace faithless electors
Citizens United v. FEC 2010
The Supreme Court decision that ruled that limits on
independent expenditures in political campaigns are unconstitutional. Together with
Speechnow.org, it led to the rise of super PACs
Closed primary
A type of primary election in which only party members can vote in
their party’s primary
contingent election
An election in the House of Representatives (for the President)
or the Senate (for the Vice President) if no candidate receives a majority of the Electoral
College vote
Dark money
Funds raised in order to influence elections by non-profits that are not
required to disclose the identity of their donors
delegates
Party members who are chosen to represent their states at their party
conventions and who cast their vote in favor of a candidate
Electoral College
their vote in favor of a candidate
*Electoral College (n.): The group of electors appointed by the states that is formed every
four years for the sole purpose of electing the President and Vice President
electors
the members of the Electoral College
faithless electors
Electors who break their pledge to vote for their party’s
presidential and/or vice-presidential nominee
general election
The election held every four years on the first Tuesday after the first
Monday of November, when Americans vote to elect the President and the Vice President.
Citizens do not vote for the ‘ticket’ directly, but for their state’s preferred candidate, who is
then represented by electors who have pledged to vote for the them in the Electoral College
Independent expenditures
Funds spent to support or oppose a candidate for
elected office that are made without coordination with a candidate
Indirect electoral system
A electoral system in which voters do not vote for
candidates directly, but for people who then choose the winning candidate
McGovern-Fraser Commission
A commission formed in the aftermath of the chaotic
1968 Democratic Convention to investigate the causes of the unrest and suggest remedies. It
recommended the creation of a direct link between primary results and the election of
delegates, and established the modern primary system
National Convention
The convention held by each of the major parties to select their
presidential nominee
National Popular Vote Interstate Compact
A pact between states to try to ensure that
the winner of the electoral college is always the winner of the national popular vote. States
agree to assign their electors to the winner of the national vote, but it will only come into
effect once states representing a majority of the electoral votes have joined
