Unit 2 Vocab Flashcards
Attentive Public
Those who follow politics and public affairs carefully
Australian Ballot
Secret ballot printed at the expense of the state
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
A 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
Demographics
Characteristics of populations, e.g., race, sex, income
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
Front Loading
Scheduling presidential primary elections early (e.g., February or March) in an election year
Gender Gap
Difference in voting patterns for men and women, particularly in the greater tendency of the latter to vote for Democratic presidential candidates
General Election
Election in which the officeholders are chosen. Contrast with a primary election, in which only the candidates are chosen
Hard Money
Campaign contributions donated directly to candidates
Ideology
Set of beliefs about political values and the role of government
Incumbent
An officeholder who is seeking reelection
Independent
One who is not registered with a political party. Independent leaners tend to vote for candidates of one particular party, whereas pure independents have no consistent pattern of party voting.
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, and 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 (did you just assume my political party)
Party Platform
A list of positions and programs that the party adopts at the national convention. Each position is called a plank
Political Culture
The widely shared beliefs, values, and norms that citizens share about their government
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 if he/she has a majority.
Political Efficacy
Capacity to understand and influence political events
Political Socialization
Process in which one acquires his/her political beliefs
Realigning (“Critical”) Election
An election in which there is a long term change in party alignment, e.g., 1932
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 solidly Democratic. However, the South is now strongly Republican: Bush carried every Southern state in 2000
Split Ticket Voting
Casting votes for candidates of one’s own party and for candidates of opposing parties, e.g., voting for a Republican presidential candidate and a Democratic congressional candidate
Straight Ticket Voting
Casting votes only for candidates of one’s party
Suffrage
The right to vote
Superdelegate
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 presidential primaries, particularly in the South, are held
Swing State
A state that does not consistently vote either Democratic or Republican in presidential elections
