Unit 3 Chapters 7 & 8 Flashcards
(33 cards)
Political Party
A group that seeks to elect candidates to public office by suppling them with a label
National Convention
A meeting of party delegates elected in state primaries caucuses or conventions that is held every four years.
Soft Money
Funds solicited from individuals corporations and unions that are spent on party activities such as voter registration, campaigns, and voter drives
Super-Delegates
Party leaders and elected officials who become delegates to the national convention without having to run in primaries
Winner-Take-All-System
the candidate with the most votes in each state is awarded all of that state’s electoral votes
Political Machine
A party organization that recruits its members by dispensing payment
Patronage
the power to control appointments to office or the right to privileges.
Plurality System
An electoral system, used in almost all elections, in which the winner is the person who gets the most votes, even if he or she does not have a majority of votes.
Caucus
an association of members of congress created to advocate a political ideology or a regional, ethnic, or economic interest
Realignment
displacement of the majority party by the minority party.
Spoils system
Another phrase for political patronage, the is the practice of giving the fruits of a parties victory, such as jobs and contracts, to the loyal members of that party
Incumbent
The person currently in office
Coattails
The tendency of lesser known or weaker candidates to profit in an election by the presence on the ticket of a more popular candidate
PAC (Political Action Committee)
A committee Set up by and representing a corporation, labor union, or special interest group that raises and spends campaign contributions on behalf of one or more candidates or causes.
Federal Matching funds
the money a presidential candidate is given by federal government to match the money they have raised personally
Front-Loaded Campaign
movement of state delegate selection contests to the beginning of the nomination calendar
Clothespin Vote
the vote cast by a person who does not like either candidate and so votes for the less objectionable of the two, putting a clothespin over his nose to keep out the unpleasant stench
Position Issue
An issue dividing the electorate on which rival parties adopt different policy positions to attract voters
Valence Issue
An issue on which voters distinguish rival parties by the degree to which they associate each party or candidate with conditions, goals, or symbols the electorate universally approves or disapproves of.
General Election
An election used to fill an elective office
Primary Election
An election prior to the general election in which voters select the candidates who will run on each party ticket.
Open Primary
A primary election that permits voters to choose on election day the primary in which they wish to vote.
Closed Primary
A primary election limited to registered party members. prevents members of other parties from crossing over to influence the nomination of an opposing parties candidate
Blanket Primary
A primary election that permits all voters, regardless of party, to choose candidates. Democratic voter, for example, can vote in a blanket primary for both democratic and republican candidates for nomination.