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Chapter 10: Government by the people

Terms in this set (30)

suffrage
Right to vote
electorate
All of the people entitled to vote in a given election
disenfranchised
Denied the right to vote
Poll tax
Special tax, demanded by some States, as a condition of voting; outlawed by the 24th amendment
gerrymandering
The drawing of electoral district lines to the advantage of a party or group
purging
Process of reviewing lists of registered voters and removing the names of those no longer eligible to vote
registration
procedure of voter identification intended to prevent fraudulent voting
literacy
person's ability to read or write
Off-year elections
congressional election that occurs between presidential election years
Ballot fatigue
phenomenon by which voters cast fewer votes for offices listed toward the bottom of the ballot
Political efficacy
one owns influence or effectiveness on politics
Straight-ticket voting
practice of voting for candidates of only one party in an election
Split-ticket voting
voting for candidates of different parties
independents
a term used to describe people who have no party affiliation
ballot
device that voters use to register a choice in an election
Absentee voting
provision made for those unable to go to their regular polling places on Election Day
Coattail effect
effect of a strong candidate running for an office at the top of a ballot and helping to attract voters to other candidates on the party's ticket
Public opinion
complex collection of the opinions of different people
Mass media
means of communication that reach large audiences
Opinion leaders
any person who for any reason has an unusually strong influence on the views of others
mandate
instructions or commands Constituency gives to its elected officials
Interest groups
private organizations whose members share certain views and work to shape public policies
Public opinion polls
device that attempts to collect information by asking people questions
Random sample
certain number of randomly selected people
Public agenda
public issues on which the people's attention is focused
Sound bite
sharp, short reports of information
lobbying
activities by which group pressures are brought to bear on legislators and their processes
Amicus curie brief
legal Latin term meaning "friend of the court" a document that consists of written arguments presented to a court in support of one side in a dispute
Grass-roots pressure
pressures on public officials from members of an interest group of the people at large
Labor union
organization of workers who share the same type of jobs or who work in the same industry and press for policies that will benefit the members
THIS SET IS OFTEN IN FOLDERS WITH...