Upgrade to remove ads
Only $2.99/month

Chapter 14 APGOPO

Terms in this set (35)

front-loading
The recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media attention
general election
An election held to choose which candidate will hold office
hard money
campaign contributions donated directly to candidates
incumbent
the current officeholder
Initiative
A procedure by which voters can propose a law or a constitutional amendment
invisible primary
The period before any votes are cast when candidates compete to win early support
Iowa Caucus
first state to hold a caucus or primary
Matching money/funds
Donations to the presidential campaign from the federal government that are determined by the amount of private funds a qualifying candidate raises
midterm election
Elections held midway between presidential elections
New Hampshire Primary
First Presidential primary and its winner becomes the media's major attention
open primary
Primary election in which any voter, regardless of party, may vote
Plurality
Candidate or party with the most votes cast in an election, not necessarily more than half
Political Action Committee (PAC)
A committee set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations
polling place
the location where voting is carried out
Precincts
voting districts
Recall
procedure whereby voters can remove an elected official from office
Referendum
a legislative act is referred for final approval to a popular vote by the electorate
soft money
Campaign contributions unregulated by federal or state law, usually given to parties and party committees to help fund general party activities
split ticket
a ballot on which a voter selects candidates from more than one political party
Super Tuesday
A Tuesday in early March in which many presidential primaries, particularly in the South, are held
23rd Amendment
gave residents of Washington DC the right to vote
voter registration
A system adopted by the states that requires voters to register well in advance of Election Day
war chest
funds collected by a candidate to spend on a political campaign
Wards
divisions of a city for electoral or administrative purposes or as units for organizing political parties
winner-take-all system
an election system in which the candidate with the most votes wins
blanket primary
a primary election in which each voter may vote for candidates from both parties
Buckley v. Valeo
1974 campaign finance case declared some federal limits on campaign contributions in FECA violated First Amendment (ex. maximum spending limit and limits on candidates' spending their own money)
Caucuses
meetings where political parties chose their candidates
Citizens United v. FEC
A 2010 decision by the United States Supreme Court holding that independent expenditures are free speech protected by the 1st Amendment and so cannot be limited by federal law
closed primary
A primary in which only registered members of a particular political party can vote
coattail effect
The boost that candidates may get in an election because of the popularity of candidates above them on the ballot
Electoral College
A group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president
Electors
people elected by the voters in a presidential election as members of the electoral college
Federal Election Campaign Act
A law passed in 1974 for reforming campaign finances. The act created the Federal Election Commission (FEC)
Federal Election Commission (FEC)
A commission created by the 1974 amendments to the Federal Election Campaign Act to administer election reform laws
THIS SET IS OFTEN IN FOLDERS WITH...