1.
527 organization: Interest groups organized under Section 527 of the IRS service code may advertise for or against candidates. If their source of funding is corporations or unions, thy have some restrictions on broadcast advertising. 527 organizations were important in the 2000 and 2004 elections.
2.
caucus: A meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform.
3.
closed primary: Primary election in which only persons registered in the party holding the primary may vote.
4.
crossover voting: Voting by a member of one party for a candidate of another party.
5.
dealignment: Weakening of partisan preferences that points to a rejection of both major parties and a rise in the number of Independents.
6.
direct primary: Election in which voters choose party nominees.
7.
divided government: Governance divided between the parties, as when one holds the presidency and the other controls one or both houses of Congress.
8.
Green party: A minor party dedicated to the environment, social justice, nonviolence, and a foreign policy of nonintervention. Ralph Nader ran as its nominee in 2000.
9.
hard money: 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 "hard money."
10.
honeymoon: Period at the beginning of a new president's term during which the president enjoys generally positive relations with the press and Congress, usually lasting about six months.
11.
independent expenditure: The Supreme Court has ruled that individuals, groups, and parties can spend unlimited amounts in campaigns for or against candidates as long as they operate independently from the candidates. When an individual, group, or party does so, they are making an independent expenditure.
12.
Keynesian economics: Theory based on the principles of John Maynard Keynes, stating that government spending should increase during business slumps and be curbed during booms.
13.
laissez-faire economics: Theory that opposes governmental interference in economic affairs beyond what is necessary to protect life and property.
14.
Libertarian party: A minor party that believes in extremely limited government. Libertarians call for a free market system, expanded individual liberties such as drug legalization, and a foreign policy of nonintervention, free trade, and open immigration.
15.
minor party: A small political party that rises and falls with a charismatic candidate or, if composed of ideologies on the right or left, usually persists over time; also called a third party.
16.
national party convention: 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.
17.
nonpartisan election: A local or judicial election in which candidates are not selected or endorsed by political parties and party affiliation is not listed on ballots.
18.
office block ballot: Ballot on which all candidates are listed under the office for which they are running, making split-ticket voting easier.
19.
open primary: Primary election in which any voter, regardless of party, may vote.
20.
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.
21.
party convention: A meeting of party delegates to vote on matters of policy and in some cases to select party candidates for public office.
22.
party identification: An informal and subjective affiliation with a political party that most people acquire in childhood.
23.
party registration: The act of declaring party affiliation; required by some states when one registers to vote.
24.
patronage: The dispensing of government jobs to persons who belong to the winning political party.
25.
political party: An organization that seeks political power by electing people to office so that its positions and philosophy become public policy.
26.
proportional representation: An election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote.
27.
realigning election: An election during periods of expanded suffrage and change in the economy and society that proves to be a turning point, redefining the agenda of politics and the alignment of voters within parties.
28.
Reform party: A minor party founded by Ross Perot in 1995. It focuses on national government reform, fiscal responsibility, and political accountability. It has recently struggled with internal strife and criticism that it lacks an identity.
29.
soft money: 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.
30.
winner-take-all system: An election system in which the candidate with the most votes wins.
