Unit 17 Flashcards
Political machine
A party organization that recruits voter loyalty with tangible incentives and is characterized by a high degree of control over member activity.
Candidate centered politics
Politics that focuses on the candidates, their particular issues, and the character rather than party affiliation.
Party realignment
Dramatic shifts in partisan preferences that drastically alter the political landscape. (redefines)
Critical elections
An election that signals a party realignment through voter polarization around new issues and personalities.
Secular realignment
The gradual rearrangement of party coalitions, based more on demographic shifts than on shocks to the political system.
Deviating election
A brief change in which party has power, usually because of a charismatic leader or war hero
Dealignment
A general decline in party identification and loyalty in the electorate.
Superdelegate
Delegate to the Democratic Party’s national convention that is reserved for a party official, whose vote at the convention is unpledged to an individual candidate.
Think tank
Institutional collection of policy-oriented researchers and academics who are sources of policy ideas.
Party platform
A statement of the general and specific philosophy and policy goals of a political party, usually promulgated at the national convention.
National convention
A party meeting held in the presidential election year for the purposes of nominating a presidential and vice presidential ticket and adopting a platform.
Proportional representation
A voting system that apportions legislative seats according to the percentage of the vote won by a particular political party.
Winner-take-all representation
An electoral system in which the party that receives at least one more vote than any other party wins the elections.
Electorate
The citizens eligibility to vote.
Mandate
A command indicated by the electorate’s votes for the elected officials to carry out a party platform or political agenda.
Closed primary
A primary election in which only a party’s registered voters are eligible to cast a vote.
Open primary
A primary election in which party members, independents, and sometimes members of the other party are allowed to participate.
Runoff primary
A second primary election between the two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes in the first primary.
Crossover voting
Participation in the primary election of a party with which the voter is not affiliated.
Frontloading
The tendency of states to choose and early date on the nomination calendar.
Electoral college
Representatives of each state who cast the final ballots that actually elect the president.
Elector
A ember of the electoral college.
Reapportionment
The reallocation of the number of seats in the House of Representatives after each decennial census.
Midterm election
Am election that takes place in the middle of a presidential term.
Ticket-splitting
Voting for candidates of different parties for various office in the sam election.
Retrospective judgement
A voter’s evaluation of a candidate based on past performance on a particular issue.
Prospective judgement
A voter’s evaluation of a candidate based on what he or she pledges to do about an issue if elected.
Amendment 12
Modifies and clarifies the procedure for electing VPs and presidents
Amendment 15
Black suffrage
Amendment 17
Established popular voting as the process by which senators are elected
Amendment 19
Women’s suffrage
Amendment 26
Made voting age 18
Nomination campaign
Phase of a political campaign aimed at winning a primary election.
General election campaign
Election in which voters decide which candidates will actually fill the elective public offices
Pollster
A campaign consultant who conducts public opinion surveys.
Voter canvas
The process by which a campaign reaches individual voters, either by door-to-to solicitations or by phone
GOTV (get out the vote)
A push at the end of a political campaign to encourage supporters to go to the polls
Hard money
Political contributions given to a party, candidate or interest group that are limited in amount and fully disclosed
Soft money
Unlimeted political contributions earmarked for party building expenses or generic party advertising
PACs
Federally mandated, officially registered fund-raising committee that represents interest groups in the political process
Public fund
Donations to the general tax revenues to the campaigns of qualifying presidential candidates
Matching funds
Donations to presidential campaigns from the federal government that are determined by the amount of private funds a qualifying candidate raises
527s
Independent groups that seek to influence political process but are not subject to contribution restrictions because do no actively seek election of a candidate
FEC (federal election campaign)
Six member bipartisan agency created by the FECA of 1974; they administer and enforce campaign finance laws
FECA (federal election campaign act)
Law passed in 1974 for reforming campaign finances; provided public financing for presidential primaries and general elections, limited presidential campaign spending, required disclosure and attempted to limit contibutions
Bipartisan campaign reform act of 2002
Legislation sponsored by McCain, from both parties, that prohibit the use of federally unregulated funds to finance a campaign, i.e. soft money (since repealed)
Independent expenditures
An individual, group or party can spend unlimited amounts in campaigns for or against candidates as long as they operate independently from the candidate
Issue advocacy
Advertising that intends to bring an issue to light without advocating voters to take a specific action at the election booth
Express advocacy
Advertising that educates voters about issues with a specific candidate endorsement
501(c) groups
Nonprofit, tax-exempt interest groups that can engage in varying levels of political activities such as voter mobilization and issue advocacy; not subject to FEC disclosure rules.
Types of elections
Primary: selects party nominees
General: selects office holders
Initiative: policy voting
Recall: removes incumbents before next election
