Exam 2 Poli Sci
About this set
Created by:
mdmccullough on October 5, 2010
Log in to favorite or report as inappropriate.
Order by
55 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Random Sample | A sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion |
| Mass Media | Forms of communication, such as newspapers and radio, that reach millions of people |
| Federal Communications Commission | An agency of the federal government with authority to develop regulations for the broadcast media. |
| Horse Race Journalism | Election coverage by the mass media that focuses on which candidate is ahead rather than on national issues. |
| Watchdog Journalism | When journalists report illegal, dishonest, immoral or other bad behaviors that violate norms. It is the best opportunity for journalists to show they are advancing democracy |
| Media Bias | Bias or slant in the selection of which news to report and how the news is reported. |
| Concentration of Ownership | Occurs when several kinds of media or many outlets of the same kind of media are owned by a single owner |
| Political Participation | All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue. |
| Influencing Behavior | Behavior that seeks to midfy or reverse government policy to serve political interests |
| Class action Suit | A legal action brought by a person or group on behalf of a number of people in similar circumstances |
| Voter Turnout | The proportion of persons of voting age who actually vote in a given election |
| Suffrage | The right to vote. Also called the franchise |
| Progressivism | Philosophy of political reform based on the godness and wisdom of the individual citizen, as opposed to special interests and political institutions |
| Direct Primary | A preliminary election run by the state government, in which the voters choose each party's candidates for the general election |
| Decline in Voting | Turnout declined from the 1890s until the 1930s, then increased again until 1960 before beginning its current long decline |
| Political Party | An organization that nominates and runs candidates for office under its own label. |
| Federalist Era | (First party system) Strong Central government, Assumption of debt, Ties to England, Industrial growth |
| Jeffersonians | State Government authority, Partial Assumption of debt, Loyalty to France, Farm economy |
| Jacksonians | (Second party system) Partisanship, To the victor goes the spoils, National conventions |
| Republic Era | (Third Party System) Abraham Lincoln: Civil War and nationalism, Social change McKinley and New Republicans: Populism and good government,Trust busting, World Power |
| New Deal Era | The New Deal and economic reform, FDR |
| Reagan Era | Ronald Reagan: Partial realigment, Less government, Devolution, Tax reform |
| Nomination | Designation as an official candidate of a political party |
| Electoral College | Body of electors chosen by voters to cast ballots for president and vice president |
| Caucus | A closed meeting of the members of a poltical party to decide questions of the policy, and the selection of candidates for office. |
| National Convention | Gathering of delgates of a single political party across the country to choose candidates for president and vice president and to adopt a party platform. |
| Critical Election | An election that produces a sharp change in the existing pattern of party loyalties among groups of voters. |
| Two Party System | Political system in which two major political parties compete for control of the government. Candidates from a third party have little chance of winning office. |
| Dealignment | A lessening of importance of party loyalties in voting decisions |
| Majority Representation | The system by which one office, contested by 2 or more candidates, is won by the single candidate who collects the most votes. |
| Proportional Representation | Legislative seats awarded to a party in proportion to the vote that party wins in an election |
| Party Identification | A voters sense of psychological attachment to a party |
| Party Organization | The formal structure and leadership of a political party, including election committees local, state, and national executives and paid professional staff. |
| Party-in-Government | a |
| Party-in-Electorate | Members of a political party who usually vote for candidates from that party. |
| Divided government | Situation in which one party controls the White House and another party controls at least one house of congress. |
| Party Machines | A centralized party organizaion that dominates local politics by controlling elections |
| Closed Primary | Voters must declare their party affiliation to vote on that party's potential nominees |
| Open Primary | Voters need not declare their party affiliation and can choose one party's primary ballot to take into the voting booth |
| General election | A national election held by law in November every even-numbered year. |
| Straight ticket | In voting, a single party's candidate for all offices. |
| Split Ticket | In voting, candidates from different parties for different offices |
| FEC | Bipartisan federal agency of six members that oversees the financing of national election campaigns. |
| Soft Money | Financial contributions to party committees for capital and operational expenses |
| 527 Committees | Committees named after section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code; they enjoy tax exempt status in election campaigns if they are unaffiliated with a political party and take positions on ISSUES not specific candidates. |
| Buckley v. Valeo | Struck down some limits on campaign contributions, under the grounds that it was free speech. Also allowed candidates to use any amount of their own money for his or her own campaign. |
| Electoral College Reform | a |
| Federal Election Campaign Act | 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. |
| Realigning elections | Elections that may lead to a basic shift in the party identification of the electorate. |
| Deviating Elections | Elections in which the majority party (according to party identification) is defeated in a temporary reversal. |
| Gender gap | The difference between the political opinions or political behavior of men and women. |
| Voting and Income | Income and class that are closely associated with education level. Income has some effect independently: wealthier people are more likely to vote, regardless of their educational background |
| Voting and Union Membership | More conservative, |
| Voting and Religious Affliation | More conservative, likely to vote for a candidate with same religious affiliation, |
| Citizens United Case | Closed cooperate funding |
First Time Here?
Welcome to Quizlet, a fun, free place to study. Try these flashcards, find others to study, or make your own.