usgov chapter 9 vocab
Order by
26 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Presidential primary | a statewide primary election of delegates to a political party's national convention, held to determine a party's presidential nominee |
| Political consultant | a paid professional hired to devise a campaign strategy and manage a campaign |
| Tracking poll | a poll taken for the candidate on a nearly daily basis as election day approaches |
| Focus group | a small group of individuals who are led in discussion by a professional consultant in order to gather opinions on and responses to candidates and issues |
| Corrupt Practices Acts | a series of acts passed by Congress in an attempt to limit and regulate the size and sources of contributions and expenditures in political campaigns |
| Hatch Act | an act passed in 1939 that restricted the political activities of government employees; also prohibited a political group from spending more than $3 million in any campaign and limited individual contributions to a campaign committee to $5000 |
| Political Action Committee (PAC) | a committee set up by and representing a corporation, labor union, or special interest group; raise and give campaign donations |
| Soft money | campaign contributions unregulated by federal or state law, usually given to parties and party committees to help fund general party activities |
| Issue advocacy advertising | advertising paid for by interest groups that support or oppose a candidate or a candidate's position on an issue without mentioning voting or elections |
| Independent expenditures | nonregulated contributions from PACs, organizations, and individuals. The funds may be spent on advertising or other campaign activities so long as those expenditures are not coordinated with those of a candidate |
| "Beauty Contest" | a presidential primary in which contending candidates compete for popular votes but the results do not control the selection of delegates to the national convention |
| Superdelegate | a party leader or elected official who is given the right to vote at the party's national convention; not elected at the state level |
| Caucus | a meeting of party members designed to select candidates and propose policies |
| Closed primary | a type of primary in which the voter is limited to choosing candidates of the party of which he or she is a member |
| Open primary | a primary in which any registered voter can vote (must vote for candidates of only one party) |
| Front-runner | the presidential candidate who appears to be ahead at a given time in the primary season |
| Front-loading | the practice of moving presidential primary elections to the early part of the campaign to maximize the impact of these primaries on the nomination |
| Credentials committee | a committee used by political parties at their national conventions to determine which delegates may participate; inspects the claim of each prospective delegate to be seated as a legitimate representative of his or her state |
| Elector | a member of the electoral college, which selects the president and vice president; each state's are chosen in each presidential election year according to state laws |
| Australian ballot | a secret ballot prepared, distributed, and tabulated by government officials at public expense; since 1888 all states have used this rather than an open public ballot |
| Office-block or Massachusetts ballot | a form of general election ballot in which candidates for elective office are grouped together under the title of each office; emphasizes voting for the office and the individual candidate, rather than for the party |
| Party-column or Indiana ballot | a form of general-election ballot in which all of a party's candidates for elective office are arranged in one column under the party's label and symbol; emphasizes voting for the party, rather than for the office or individual |
| Coattail Effect | the influence of a popular candidate on the electoral success of other candidates on the same party ticket; increased by the party-column ballot |
| Voter turnout | percentage of citizens taking part in the election process; the number of eligible voters that go cast their ballots on election day |
| Rational Ignorance Effect | an effect produced when people purposely and rationally decide not to become informed on an issue because they believe that their vote on the issue is not likely to be a deciding one; a lack of incentive to seek the necessary information to cast an intelligent vote |
| Registration | the entry of a person's name onto the list of registered voters for elections; a person must meet certain legal requirements of age, citizenship, and residency |
First Time Here?
Welcome to Quizlet, a fun, free place to study. Try these flashcards, find others to study, or make your own.