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AP Gov. Ch. 8 Vocab

Terms in this set (50)

Party Competition
The battle between Democrats and Republicans for control of public office.
Political Party
A group of persons seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election.
Linkage Institutions
Institutions such as parties, elections, interest groups, ad the media translate inputs from the public into outputs from policymakers.
Nomination
The party's endorsement of a candidate.
Party Image
What voters know or think they know about what each party stands for.
Partisans
Members of the same group; i.e., Republicans or Democrats.
Party in the Electorate
Are individuals who perceive themselves as party members.
Party Identification
The self-proclaimed preference for one of the parties.
Ticket-Splitting
Voting with one party for one office and another for other offices.
Divided Government
Has frequently been the result (often with one party in control of the White House and the other in control of Congress).
Party as an Organization
Organization that includes precinct leaders, county chairpersons, state chairpersons, state delegates to the national committee, and officials in the party's Washington office.
Party Machines
A party organization that depends on material inducements such as patronage, to win cotes and to govern.
Patronage
One of the key inducements used by party machines. A patronage job, promotion , or contract is one that is given for political reasons rather than for merit of competence.
Closed Primaries
Elections to select party nominees in which only people who have registered in advance with the party can vote for the party's candidates, thus encouraging greater party loyalty.
Open Primaries
Elections to select party nominees in which voters can decide on Election Day whether they want to participate in the Democratic or Republican contests.
Blanket Primaries
Elections to select party nominees in which voters are presented with a list of candidates from all the parties. Voters can then select some Democrats and some Republicans if they like.
National Convention
The meeting of party delegates every four years to choose a presidential ticket and write the party's platform.
National Committee
One of the institutions that keep the party operating between conventions. The national committee is composed of representatives from the states and territories.
National Chairperson
The national chairperson is responsible for the day-to-day activities of the party and is usually handpicked by the presidential nominee.
Party Eras
Historical periods in which a majority of voters cling to the party in power, which tends to win a majority of elections.
Critical Election
An electoral "earthquake" whereby new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party. These are sometimes marked by a national crisis and may require more than one election to bring about a new party era
Coalition
A group of individuals with a common interest upon which every political party depends.
Party Realignment
The displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period.
New Deal Coalition
A coalition forged by the Democrats, who dominated American politics from the 1930s to the 1960s. Its basic elements were the urban working class, ethnic groups, Catholics and Jews, the poor, Southerners, African Americans, and intellectuals.
Party Dealignment
The gradual disengagement of people and politicians from the parties, as seen in part by shrinking party identification.
Third Parties
Electoral contenders other than the two major parties. American third parties are not unusual, but they rarely win elections.
Party Neutrality
A term used to describe the fact that many Americans are indifferent toward to two major political parties.
Winner Take All System
An electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who come in first in their constituencies. In US presidential elections, the system in which the winner of the popular vote in a state receives all the electoral votes of that state
Proportional Representation
An electoral system used throughout most of Europe that awards legislative seats to political parties in proportion to the number of votes won in an election.
Coalition Government
When two or more parties join together to form a majority in a national legislature. This form of government is quite common in the multiparty systems of Europe.
Dealignment
Weakening of partisan preferences that points to a rejection of both major parties and a rise in the number of Independents.
Democratic Party
One of the two major political parties in America; it is very liberal and open to social programs.
Gridlock
The inability of the government to act because rival parties control different parts of the government.
Independent Party
Attracted trade unionists, socialists, and those
who thought that Conservative and Liberal
Parties had no genuine interests in the needs
of the general public.
National Nominating Conventions
The governing authority of the political party. They give direction to the national party chairperson, the spokesperson of the party, and the person who heads the national committee, the governing body of the party. They are also the forums where presidential candidates are given the official nod by their parties.
New Democrats
Are an ideologically centrist faction within the Democratic Party that emerged after the victory of Republican George H. W. Bush in the 1988 presidential election.
Nonpartisan Primaries
Election in which voters can choose from among potential nominees in both parties; currently outlawed by the US Supreme Court.
Party in Government
All of the elected and appointed officials who identify with a political party.
Party Platforms
Voted on by the delegates attending the National Convention, they represent the ideological point of view of a political party.
Political Participation
All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue. Voting is the most common but not the only means of political participation in a democracy. Other means include protest and civil disobedience.
Political Socialization
The process by which we develop our political attitudes, values, and beliefs.
Reagan Democrats
Traditional Democratic middle-class voters turning to Ronald Reagan during the 1980s.
Realignment
A shift of voting patterns to form new coalitions of party support.
Reform Party
A minor party that bases its appeal on the claim that the major parties are having a corrupting influence on government and policy.
Religious Right
United States political faction that advocates social and political conservatism, school prayer, and federal aid for religious groups and schools
Republican Party
One of the two major political parties in America; it is conservative and supports military spending.
Splinter Parties
Parties that have split away from one of the major parties
Spoiler Role
Third parties may take votes from the major two parties affecting the outcome of the election. Ralph Nader in 2000 is an example [especially in Florida].
Two-Party System
An electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in national elections.
Bolter Parties
Third parties that usually unite around a feeling that the major parties are not responding to the demands of some segment of the electorate.
THIS SET IS OFTEN IN FOLDERS WITH...