AP Gov: Ch 9-10 – Flashcards
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super delegates
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national party leaders who automatically get a delegate slot at the national party convention
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invisible primary
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period before any votes are cast when candidates compete to win early support from the elite and to create a positive first impression of their leadership skills
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caucus
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a system for selecting convention delegates used in about a dozen states in which voters must attend an open meeting to express their presidential preference; Iowa
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presidential primaries
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elections in which a state's voters go to the polls to express their preference for a party's nominee for president
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frontloading
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recent tendency of sets to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media attention
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party platform
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a political party's statement of its goals and policies for the next 4 years
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campaign contribution
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donations that are made directly to a candidate/party and that must be reported to the FEC
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independent expenditures
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spending by political action committees, corporations, or labor unions that is done to help a party or candidate but is done independently of them
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Federal Election Campaign Act (1974)
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a law passed in 1974 for reforming campaign finances. The act created the Federal Election Commission (FEC), provided public financing for presidential primaries and general elections, limited presidential campaign spending, required disclosure, and attempted to limit contributions
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Federal Election Commission
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6 member bipartisan agency created by the FEC act; administers and enforces campaign finance laws
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political action committee (PAC)
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groups that raise money from individuals and then distribute it in the form of contributions to candidates that the group supports; must register with the FEC and report their donations
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soft money
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campaign contributions unregulated by federal or state law, usually given to parties and party committees to help fund general party activities
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interest group
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organization fo people with shared policy goals entering the policy process at several points to try to achieve these goals
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pluralism
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theory emphasizing that many groups compete and counterbalance one another in the political marketplace
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elitism
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theory contending that an upper class elite will hold most of the power and thus in effect run the government
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hyperpluralism
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theory contending that groups are so strong that gov, seeking to please them all, is thereby weakened
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iron triangle
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an informal association of federal agency, congressional committee, and interest group that is said to have heavy influence over policy making.
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potential group
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all the people who might be interest group members because they share some common interest
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actual group
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the people in the potential group who actually join
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collective good
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something of value that cannot be withheld from a potential group member
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free-rider problem
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the problem of people not joining because they can benefit from the groups activities without joining
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selective benefits
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goods that a group can restrict tot hose who actually join
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single-issue groups
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groups that have a narrow interest, tend to displace compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics
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lobbying
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a communication by someone other a citizen acting on his or her own behalf directed to a government decision maker with the hope of influencing his or her decision
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electioneering
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direct group involvement in the election process by helping to fund campaigns, getting members to work for candidates, and forming PACs
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union shop
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a provision found in some collective bargaining agreements requiring all employees of a business to join the union within a short period and to remain members as a condition of employment
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right-to-work laws
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a state law forbidding requirements that workers met join a union to hold their jobs
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public interest lobbies
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organizations that seek a collective good, the achievement of which will not selectively and materially benefit the membership or activists of the organization
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the democratic and republican candidates for president are formally nominated by the
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national party convention
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what is the most common reason given for not voting by US citizens who are registered to vote?
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it's hard to take off work or school
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what is the phenomenon that people's beliefs often guide what they pay attention to and how they interpret events?
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selective perception
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which states tend to have a higher voter turnout?
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states with election day voter registration
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the founders created the electoral college because they wanted the president to be selected by
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elites
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why are people with a higher than average education more likely to vote?
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education helps would be voters navigate the voter registration process
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who raises money from individuals and then distribute it in the form of contributions to political candidates?
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PACs
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what is an assumption of pluralism?
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interest groups are integral to government decisions
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what is the main objective of most labor unions?
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to protect jobs and secure favorable wages and benefits for their members
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interest groups are important subjects of study in American politics because
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they provide a venue for citizens to participate in government
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how might pluralism serve to enhance democracy?
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by ensuring that no single interest group becomes dominant
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what is the main type of organization that lobbies of behalf on workers?
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labor union
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why do presidential candidates tend to focus their efforts on battleground states?
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the winner take all system makes battleground states more relevant to a campaign
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who is most likely to participate in a presidential caucus?
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party activist
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who is a floating voter?
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is not loyal to a specific political party
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how many states employ a winner take all system in which all their electors are awarded to the presidential candidate who wins the most votes statewide?
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48 (not Maine & Nebraska)
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How many interest groups are there in the US?
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25,000
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which theory of interest group politics views interest groups positively?
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pluralism
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why does money not always lead to lobbying success?
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other side can also make contributions
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which demographic is more likely to vote?
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older married people with college degree
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