Vocab Flashcards
Public Opinion
how people think or feel about particular things
Poll
Survey of Public Opinion
Random Sample
Method of selecting from a population in which each person has an equal probability of being selected.
Sampling Error
Difference between the results of random samples taken at the same time.
Exit Poll
polls based on interviews conducted on election day with randomly selected voters
Political Socialization
Process by which background traits influence one’s political views
Political Elites
Persons with disproportionate share of political power
Gender Gap
Difference in political views between men and women
Grosscutting Cleavages
“cleavages” are racial, political, or religious divisions, this means when the cleavage overlaps.
V.O Key
researcher who found difference in political opinion were closely associated with occupation in the 1950s
Barry Goldwater
First major US politician to refer to himself as conservative
Political Ideology
A more or less consistent set of beliefs about what policies government ought to pursue
Political Elites
persons with a disproportionate share of political power
Norm
standard of right or proper conduct that helps determine the range of acceptable social behavior and policy options
Voting Age Population
citizens who are eligible to vote after reaching the minimum age requirement
Registered Voters
you register to vote when you tirn 18 and yet the US has only 66.5% of turnout of registered voters
Motor Votor Law
law that allows people in all 50 states to register to vote when applying for drivers licenses and provide registration through the mail and at some state offices that give disability checks.
Literacy Test
requirement that citizens shows that they can read before registering to vote
Poll Tax
a requirement that citizens pay a tax in order to vote
White Primary
The practice of keeping blacks from voting in the southern states primaries through arbitrary use of registration requirements and intimidation
Voting Rights Act of 1965
suspended the use if literacy tests and authorized the appointment of federal examiners who could order the registration of blacks in states and countries where fewer than 50% of the voting age population were registered or had voted in the last presidential election.
Voting Rights Act of 1970
gave 18 year olds the right to vote beginning in 1972
Australian Ballot
a government printed ballot of uniform dimensions to be cast in secret that many states adopted in 1890 to reduce voting fraud associated with party printed ballots cast in public
Activists
people who tend to participate in all forms of politics.
Voting Specialists
people who vote and are pretty informed
Campaigners
help senators and people running
Communalists
get involved around voting time
Parochial participants
randomly participate when they feel they have a reason to
Fifteenth Amendment
gave blacks the right to vote
Nineteenth amendment
womans suffrage
Political Party
a group that seeks to elect candidates to public office
MugWumps/Progressives
Republican Party faction of the 1890s to the 1910s composed of reformers who opposed patronage
Critical/ Realignment Period
a period where a major, lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition supporting one or both parties
Split Ticket
voting for candidates from different parties on the same ballot
Straight Ticket
voting for candidates from the same parties on the same ballot
Office Bloc Ballot
ballot on which all candidates are listed under the office for which the are running, making split ticket voting easier
Party Column Ballot
type of ballot that encourages party line voting by listing all of a party’s candidates in a column under the party name
National Convention
a meeting of party delegates held every four hours
National Comittee
delegates who run party affairs between national conventions
Congressional Campaign Committee
a party committee in congress that provides funds to members and would be members
National Chairman
day to day party manager elected by the national committee
Superdelegates
party leaders and elected officials who become delegates to the national convention without having to run in primaries or caucuses
Political Machine
a party organization that recruits members by dispensing patronage
Ideological Party
party that values principled stands on issues above all else
Solidary Incentives
social rewards (sense of pleasure, status, or companionship) that lead people to join political organizations
Sponsored Party
a local or state political party that is largely supported by another organization in the community
Personal Following
political support provided to a candidate on the basis of personal popularity and networks
Two Party System
an electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in national elections
Plurality System
an electoral system in which the winner is the person who gets the most votes even if he or she does not receive a majority. This is used in almost all american elections
Caucus
meeting of party members to select delegates backing one or another primary candidate
