UNIT 5 Flashcards
Rational Choice Voting
Individuals who base their decisions on what is perceived to be in their best interest and their own beliefs
Retrospective voting
individuals who decide whether the party or candidate in power should be reelected based on the recent past
Prospective voting
individuals who vote based on predictions of how a party or candidate will perform in the future
Party line (straight ticket) voting
individuals who vote for all of the candidates from ONE political party on a ballot in order to get their party’s policies
Demographics
bruh yk what this is
Critical elections
elections in which there is a realignment of political party support among voters
Realignment
a major change in the composition of party coalitions, often brought on by a new or pressing issue (often economic trouble or war)
Proportional system
an election system where each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote
Winner-take-all system
serve a structural barrier to a third party candidate success, it advantages the two party system
Party Coalition
A government where political parties join together for a common purpose
Linkage institution
A way that connects the people with the government: News media, Interest groups, social movements
General Election
The presidential election and not primary
Midterm election
The house of reps and other 2 year long terms are voted for
Open/closed primary
Open: where candidates of all parties appear on the ballot no matter the registered party Closed: Only the party that the person registered as appears on their ballot
Party Caucus
closed meeting of party members to select candidates or decide policy
Primary election
an election where political parties choose their candidates for the general election
Incumbency Advantage
People will be more encouraged to vote for the incumbent because they were just president
Bipartisan
an agreement of two political parties that usually oppose each other’s policies
Political Action commitee
a committee that is directly or indirectly established, financed, maintained, by a candidate or an individual holding federal office
Super PAC
Committees taht can receive unlimited contributions from individuals, corps, labor unions to finance their own expenses or ads
Independent expenditure
a payment for a communication expressly supporting or opposing a ballot measure (ADS BRUH)
Horse race journalism
the media’s use of polling results to convey popularity in a certain candidate can affect elections by turning these events into “horse races”
Third parties
Libertarian, green, they never win lol
