Unit 6 Flashcards
Conventional Participation
Relatively routine political behavior that uses institutional channels and is acceptable to the dominant culture.
Unconventional Participation
Relatively uncommon political behavior that challenges or defies established institutions and dominant norms.
Voter Turnout
The percentage of eligible citizens who actually vote in a given election.
Suffrage
The right to vote.
Franchise
The right to vote.
Direct Primary
A preliminary election, run by the state government, in which voters choose each party’s candidates for the general election.
Recall
The process for removing an elected official from office.
Referendum
An election on a policy issue.
Initiative
A procedure by which voters can propose an issue to be decided by the legislature or by the people in a referendum. Requires gathering a specified number of signatures and submitting a petition to a designed agency.
Political Party
An organization that sponsors candidates for political office under the organization’s name.
Nomination
Designation as an official candidate of political party.
Political System
A set of interrelated institutions that links people with government.
Electoral College
A body of electors chosen by voters to cast ballots for President and Vice President.
Caucus
A closed meeting of the members of a political party to decide questions of policy and the selection of candidates.
Political Participation
Actions of private citizens by which they seek to influence or support government and politics.
National Convention
A gathering of delegates of a single political party from across the country to choose candidates for President and Vice President and to adopt a party platform.
Party Platform
The statement of policies of a national party.
National Committee
A committee of political party composed of party chairpersons and party officials from every state.
Congressional Campaign Committee
An organization maintained by a political party to raise funds to support its own candidates.
Party Machine
A centralized party organization that dominates local politics by controlling elections.
Primary Election
A preliminary election conducted within a political party to select candidates who will run for public office in a subsequent election
Open Primaries
Primary elections in which voters need not declare their party affiliation and can choose one party’s primary ballot to take into the voting booth.
Closed Primary
Voters must declare their party affiliation before they are given the primary ballot containing that party’s potential nominees.
Presidential Primary
Special primary election used to select delegates to attend the party’s national convention.
Caucus/Convention
Method used to select delegates to attend the party’s nation convention.
