Campaigns and Elections
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Created by:
kevinahearn on February 7, 2012
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40 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 civic duty | a belief in the obligation to vote |
| candidate image | candidate's appearance designed to promote a feeling of integrity, reliability and competence. |
| mandate theory of elections | belief that the election winner has a mandate to implement policy promises |
| Motor Voter Act (1993) | legislation that requires states let people register to vote when they apply for a driver's license |
| Policy voting | occurs when people base their choices on how close a candidates issue positions are to their own issue preferences |
| political efficacy | belief that ordinary people can influence government |
| referendum | direct democracy technique that allows citizens to approve or disapprove some legislative act, bond, issue or constitutional amendment proposed by a state legislature |
| voter registration | a requirement that citizens register to vote before the election is held |
| suffrage | the right to vote |
| literacy test | an examination to determine whether a person meets the literacy requirements for voting |
| political legitimacy | people within a nation accept the procedures by which rules and transfers of power are made. American voters rarely question the fairness of election results. |
| Buckley v. Valeo | Court case that stated candidates can give unlimited amounts of money to their own campaigns. |
| 15th amendment | amendment that forbids the States from discriminating against any person on the grounds of race, color or previous condition of servitude. (led to right to vote for African Americans) |
| retrospective voting | those who feel better off as a result of certain policies are more likely to support candidates who pledge to continue those policies. Feel worse? then support opposition candidate. |
| Bush v. Gore | Supreme Court overruled Florida Supreme Court and held that although a recount was legal, the same standards would have to be applied in all counties. Not enough time to recount. |
| Grass Roots | the people - the voters, not necessarily involved in any political campaigns |
| mid-term elections | An election held every two years to elect members of the House of Representatives and a third of members of the Senate - held between presidential elections |
| party identification | the single best predictor of a voter's decision especially in the 1950's |
| electoral college | the institution designated in the Constitution whereby a body of electors select the president and vice president |
| initiative petition | direct democracy technique that allows proposed legislative items to be placed on a statewide ballot when enough signatures are obtained |
| Caucus | meeting to determine which candidate will win support from delegates of a state party |
| Direct Mail | use of targeted mailings to prospective supporters,usually compiled from lists of those who have contributed |
| Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974 | 1974 legislation designed to regulate campaign contributions and limit campaign expenditures |
| Federal Election Commission | bipartisan body charged with administering campaign finance laws. |
| Frontloading | states' decisions to move their presidential primaries and caucuses to earlier in the nomination season to capitalize on media attention |
| McGovern-Fraser Commission | committee in Democratic party that recommends changes in party rules to promote more representation of women and minorities in the delegate selection process. |
| National party convention | meeting of the delegates from each state to select party's nominee for president |
| 527's | created to influence the nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates for public office - permitted to accept contributions in any amount from any source. No Limits. |
| Nominations | party's official endorsement of a candidate for office |
| Party Platform | party's statement of its goals and policies for the next 4 years |
| Political Action Committee | legal entity formed for contributing money to candidates and influencing electoral outcomes |
| Presidential Primaries | state-level election to select which candidate the state's delegates will support |
| Selective Perception | act of paying the most attention to things that one already agrees with |
| Soft Money | money raised by political parties for voter registration drives and distribution of campaign material at the grass roots level |
| Superdelegates | delegates to the Democratic party's national convention who obtain their seats on the basis of their positions in party structure |
| Iowa | location of the first presidential caucus every year |
| Hard Money | campaign funds used directly for candidate ads - directly asking people to vote for a candidate |
| National Primaries | a proposal for a nationwide primary held early in the election year |
| Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission | a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court holding that corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in candidate elections cannot be limited—because of the First Amendment. |
| McCain-Feingold Bill | (Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2002) Raised hard money limits to $2000 Banned soft money contributions to national political parties |
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