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fixed terms

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the length of a term in office is specified, not indefinite

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staggered terms

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the scheduling of terms of office so that all members of a body are not selected at the same time

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term limits

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A legal restriction that limits the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. President limited by 22nd Amendment to 2 terms. No term limits on congressmen.

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Lame Duck

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Person holding office after his or her replacement has been elected to the office, but before the current term has ended. Lame Duck Presidents may find it hard to influence Congress (why work with a guy who is about to leave?)

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winner-take-all

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the winner of a state gets all of the electoral votes, instead of the votes being split proportionately

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plurality

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(in an election with more than 2 options) the number of votes for the candidate or party receiving the greatest number (but less that half of the votes)

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single-member districts

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electoral districts in which voters choose one representative or official

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proportional representation

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an election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote

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electoral college

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the electoral system used in electing the president and vice president

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electors

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..., people elected by the voters in a presedential election as members of the electoral college

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faithless electors

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..., members of the Electoral College who do not vote for whom they are pledged to

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Gerrymandering

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..., the drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent

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safe seats

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an elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other, so the success of that party's candidate is almost taken for granted

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coattail effect

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the boost that candidates may get in an election because of the popularity of candidates above them on the ballot, especially the president

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candidate appeal

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the tendency in elections to focus on the personal attributes of a candidate, such as his or her strengths, weaknesses, background, experience, and visibility

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national tide (wave)

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The inclination to focus on national issues rather than local issues, in an election campaign. The impact of a national tide can be reduced by the nature of the candidates on the ballot who may have differentiated themselves from their party or its leader if the tide is negative, as well as the competition in the election

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incumbent

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politician who is currently in office

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name recognition

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incumbents have an advantage over challengers in election campaigns because voters are more familiar with them, and incumbents are more recognizable

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"clear the field"

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...

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"invisible primary"

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period in the campaign before any actual declaration of candidacy, where the candidates try to line up supporters to win caucuses or primaries in key states and to raise money for their nomination effort.

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delegates

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..., political activists selected to vote at a party's national convention

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public matching funds

answer

...

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superdelegates

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..., "Unpledged Delegates" (usually important party members) at national party convention (about 20% of total delegates) who, unlike "pledged delegates" selected in primaries or caucuses, are not committed to a particular candidate. Used by party leaders to retain some control over candidate selection. Can be important in close races

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frontloading

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states want to hold elections first

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caucus

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a meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates

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expectations

answer

...

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national party convention

answer

a national meeting of delegates elected in primaries, caucuses, or state conventions who assemble once every four years to nominate candidates for president and vice president, ratify the party platform, elect officers, and adopt rules

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platform

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a statement of party perspectives on public policy

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debates

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Formal meetings between candidates running for office, typically moderated by an impartial party, that allow candidates discuss issues and policy positions.

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Commission on Presidential Debates

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..., the first televised presidential debate occurred in 1960 between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Nixon didn't come off as likable, may be why he lost.

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Town Hall Meeting

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..., A town hall meeting is an informal gathering of an officeholder or candidate for office with a group of people, often local, in which the audience directly questions the officeholder or candidate.

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Federal Election Campaign Act

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..., 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 (FEC)

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a commission created by the 1974 amendments to the Federal Election Campaign Act to administer election reform laws. It consists of six commissioners appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Its duties include overseeing disclosure of campaign finance information, public funding of presidential elections, and enforcing contribution limits

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Buckley v. Valeo (1976)

answer

overturned several of the propositions in the FEC on grounds that they violated the First Amendment free speech protection

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Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)

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Largely banned party soft money, restored a long-standing prohibition on corporations and labor unions for using general treasury funds for electoral purposes, and narrowed the definition of issue advocacy

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McCain-Feingold

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another name for the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)

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McConnell v. FEC (2003)

answer

...

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soft money

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Money raised in unlimited amounts by political parties for party-building purposes. Now largely illegal except for limited contributions to state or local parties for voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts.

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hard money

answer

Political contributions given to a party, candidate, or interest group that are limited in amount and fully disclosed. Raising such limited funds is harder than raising unlimited funds, hence the term

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issue advocacy

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Promoting a particular position or an issue paid for by interest groups or individuals but not candidates. Much issue advocacy is often electioneering for or against a candidate, avoiding words like "vote for," and until 2004 had not been subject to any regulation

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Section 527 [501c] organizations

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...

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"swift-boated"

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political slang that is used as a strong negative description of some kind of attack that the speaker considers unfair or untrue

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independent expenditures

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Money spent by individuals or groups not associated with candidates to elect or defeat candidates for office

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Political Action Committees (PAC's)

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..., Committees that allow corporations, labor unions, and others to legally and openly donate money to campaigns in limited amounts

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direct popular election

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most frequently proposed reform. would remove the electoral college

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runoff election

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this is held between the two contenders with the most votes, if no candidate receives at least 40% of the popular vote

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Political socialization

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how active you are in politics and what are you doing to participate in the politics around you

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selective exposure

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individuals choose to view media and make their opinions on it to agree or disagree on the views

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attentive public

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citizens who follow public affairs carefully

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political know-nothings

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people who are rarely interested in politics or public affairs and seldomly vote

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part-time citizens

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the in-between parts of attentive public and know-nothings who show an interest in politics and they do participate and it makes up 40% of the US public

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public opinion

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how the public views different issues and candidates

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public opinion poll

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a poll that covers a certain part of the state or country and they are accurate in determining states and local governments

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random sample

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this is when every individual has an equal chance of being part of the poll

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margin of error

answer

the range of percentage points in which it accurately reflects the population

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panel surveys

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this is a way that tracks public opinion by doing the poll multiple times with the same sample

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universe

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a group of people who preferences we try to measure by taking a sample

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consensus

answer

when the majority agrees on an issue

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polarized

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to opposing sides have a big difference between major issues

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intensity

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how strong an individual holds a particular opinion

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likert scale

answer

is a psychometric scale commonly involved in research that employs questionnaires. It is the most widely used approach to scaling responses in survey research, such that the term is often used interchangeably with rating scale

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latent

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having a strong opinion on politics but does not express it

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manifest opinion

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a widely shared consciously view such as support for abortion rights or homeland security

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salience

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individual's belief that an issue is important or relevant to them

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protest

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when people oppose what is happening and it is a type of boycott

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24th amendment

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prohibits both Congress and the states from conditioning the right to vote in federal elections on payment of a poll tax or other types of tax (no poll tax for voters)

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voting rights act

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this outlawed the use of literacy tests in order to vote

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voter registration

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a system designed to reduce voter fraud by limiting voting to those who have established eligibility to vote by submitting the proper documents

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motor voter law

answer

in 1993, this law said people who are registering for driver license may also register to vote

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absentee voting

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when people who choose not to vote in person on election day send in their ballots early by mail

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general elections

answer

elections when voters elect officer holders

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primary elections

answer

elections when voters determine party nominees

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presidential elections

answer

elections when voters elect the president on the ballot

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midterm elections

answer

elections held midway between presidential elections

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off-year elections

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elections held in odd numbered calendar years, mainly for local elections

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turnout

answer

proportion of voting age public that votes

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mobilization

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when the nation is divided on an issue and candidates must also show off their loyal supporters by reaffirming their stances on the issues

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canvass

answer

campaigners learn which issues matter to people by conducting different types of polls

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swing voters

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undecided voters

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ground war

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the strategic deployment of teams of staffers, volunteers, and paid part-timers who work the phones and canvass block by block, house by house, voter by voter

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26th amendment

answer

barred the states or federal government from setting a voting age higher than eighteen

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class bias

answer

people who argue that non voting is a serious issue cite the social class as a part to blame

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party identification

answer

a political party who you affiliate with that shares some of your ideas and beliefs

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leaners

answer

voters that are not with a specific political group but share views with both groups and depending on the candidate will shift towards their side

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pure independents

answer

have the lowest turnout rates however they mainly side with the winner of the presidential election

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candidate appeal

answer

how voters feel about a candidate's background, personality, leadership ability, and other qualities

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prospective voting

answer

voting based on what a candidate pledges to do in the future about an issue if elected

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retrospective voting

answer

holding incumbents, usually the president's party responsible for their records on issues such as the economy and foreign policy

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in and out parties

answer

how much of the government is retained by the performance of a certain party

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