| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Linkage Institutions | the channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda. In the United States, linkage institutions include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media. |
| Political Party | a group of people who share similar ideas on how to run the government and work to get their candidates elected to office |
| Party Functions | nominate candidates, raise money, develop a party platform and serve as a watchdog (party out of power) |
| Grassroots Politics | Politics at the local level. Tries to raise money, hold town meetings, register voters and get voters to the polls |
| Party Realignment | Occurs when a party undergoes a major shift in its electoral base and political agenda. The groups of people composing the party coalition may split up, resulting in a fairly different party. Realignments are rare and tend to be signaled by a critical election. The last realignment occurred during the New Deal, when many working-class and ethnic groups joined together under the Democratic Party. |
| Party Dealignment | a trend in which voter loyalties to the two major party weaken |
| Third Party | a minor political party in the United States that challenges the two major parties |
| Party Platform | A political party's statement of its goals and policies for the next four years. The platform is drafted prior to the party convention by a committee whose members are chosen in rough proportion to each candidate's strength. It is the best formal statement of a party's beliefs. |
| Conventional Participation | voter registration, fundraising, party membership, volunteering, running for office, voting |
| Unconventional Participation | Protests (sit-ins) and civil disobedience (Civil Rights Movement) |
| Caucus | party regulars meeting in small groups asking questions, discussing qualifications regarding the candidate, and voting on whether to endorse a particular candidate. |
| Primary | a preliminary election where delegates or nominees are chosen |
| Super Tuesday | a Tuesday in early March in which many presidential primaries, particularly in the South, are held. |
| McGovern-Fraser Commission | formed as a result of the 1968 convention with the goal of changing the selection process to the democratic convention to include more women and minorities |
| Nominating Convention | Gathering of people from one political party to formally annouce a candidate for office and confirm the party platform is known as... |
| Twenty-Sixth Amendment | Raised the voting age to 18 |
| Bush v. Gore | a United States Supreme Court case heard on December 11, 2000. In a per curiam opinion, by a vote of 7-2, the Court held that the Florida Supreme Court's scheme for recounting ballots was unconstitutional, and by a vote of 5-4, the Court held that no alternative scheme could be established within the time limits established by Florida Legislature.[1]. The per curiam opinion was argued on the basis of Equal Protection.[2] |
| Soft Money | political contributions earmarked for party-building expenses at the grassroots level or for generic party advertising. Unlike money that goes to the campaign of a particular candidate, such party donations are not subject to contribution limits. |
| Hard Money | Political contributions given to a party, candidate, or interest group that are limited in amount and fully disclosed. |
| Federal Matching Funds | public funding of presidential campaigns that is provided for by the Federal Election Campaign Act. Presidential candidates can become eligible for public funds by raising $5,000 in individual contributions of $250 or less in each of twenty states. Candidates who reach this threshold may apply for federal funds to match, on a dollar-for-dollar basis, all individual contributions of $250 or less that they receive. Third-party candidates are eligible for public funding only if they received at least 5 percent of the vote in the previous presidential race. |
| Independent Expenditure | Spending by political action committees on political matters that is done directly and not by giving money to a candidate or party. |
| McCain-Feingold Act | Banned some money donations to candidates and set limits on how much individuals can donate during an election cycle` |
| Buckley v. Valeo | Candidates can use as much of their own money on their own campaigns. |
| Fifteenth Amendment | Granted freed slaves the right to vote |
| Seventeenth Amendment | Direct election of senators |
| Nineteenth Amendment | Gave women the right to vote |
| Twenty-Fourth Amendment | Outlawed the poll tax |
| Political Culture | the common set of attitudes, beliefs, and values that provide the foundation of support for a political system. |
| Political Socialization | the process through which individuals learn a set of political attitudes and form opinions about social issues. The family and the education system are 2 of the most important forces in the political process |
| Party Identification | voter affiliation with a political party |
| Democratic voters | usually (but not always): urban, minority (women african-american), labor union, lower income |
| Republicn voters | usually (but not always) men, Protestants, business and corporate, rural, higher income |
| Motor Voter Act | Passed in 1993, this act went into effect for the 1996 election. It requires states to permit people to register to vote at the same time they apply for their driver's license. |
| Electoral College | A group selected to elect the president, in which each state's number of electors in equal to the number of its senators and representatives in Congress |
| Twelfth Amendment | requires that the electors cast separate ballots for president and vice president, as well as providing that if no candidate receives a majority of the electoral votes, the House chooses from the three candidates who have the largest number of electoral votes; the Senate chooses from the top two candidates for vice pres. |
Combine with other sets
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace
!