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AP GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS UNIT THREE VOCABULARY

Terms in this set (74)

527 Groups
Tax-exempt organization named after a section of the U.S. tax code, which is created to influence the selection or defeat of candidates
Amicus curiae briefs
A brief presented by someone interested in influencing the outcome of a lawsuit
Apportionment
The determination of the proportional number of members each state sends to the House of Representative based on population figures
Bipartisan campaign reform act(2002)
Enacted March 27,2002; regulates the financing of political campaigns
Blanket primary
A primary in which voters may pick one candidate for office without regard to party lines
Blog
A type of website or part of a website update with new content from time to time. They express opinions, persuade and spread news.
Blogosphere
The world of weblogs
Blue states
States that voted Democrat in a presidential election
Bolter parties
Party that represent constituencies that feel disenfranchised from both of the major parties
Broadcast media
A medium that communicates through television or radio
Buckley v Valeo(1976)
The court held that political speech is "indispensable to decision making in democracy"
Caucus
A meeting of the members of a legislative body who are members of a particular political party, to select candidates or decide policy
Citizens United v FEC
Rules that the government cannot regulate the right to political speech in political campaigns
Class action suits
A lawsuit in which large group of people bring a claim to court or in which a group of defendants is being sued
Closed primary
A primary in which only registered members of a political party can vote
Coattails
The influence or pulling power of a popular president
Congressional campaign committee
Group that works to recruit candidates, raising funds, and organize races in districts
Critical election
Election in which there are sharp changes in issues, party leaders, the bases of power of two parties, and structure or rules of the political system
Delegates
Party members selected in the primaries or caucuses to cast their ballots at the party convention for a particular candidate running for president
Divided government
Describes the situation in which one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress
Doctrinal parties
Party that represents an ideology considered too radical by the mainstream parties
Electoral college
Consists of electors appointed by each state who formally elect the President and Vice President
Federal Election Campaign Act(1971)
Increased disclosure of contributions for federal campaigns, amended in 1974
Free riders
Someone who consumes a resource without paying for it, or pays less than full cost
Front-loading
Scheduling state party caucuses and state primaries earlier and earlier in hopes to lead decisive momentum to one or two presidential candidates
General election
A regular election for candidates of office, as opposed to a primary election
Gerrymandering
A practice that attempts to establish a political advantage for a particular party by manipulating geographic boundaries to create incumbent protected districts
Horse-race journalism
Political journalism of elections that resembles coverage of horse races because of the focus on polling data and public perception instead of candidate policy and differences
Incumbent
A person already holding office and running for re-election
Independent candidates
Candidate that is not affiliated with any political party
Influence peddling
Illegal practice of using one's influence in government or connections with a person in authority to obtain favors or preferential treatment for money
Interest group
A group whose members controls some field of activity and who have common aims
Lame duck
A political officeholder who has not been re-elected and who is simply serving out the remainder of her or his term
Linkage institution
A structure within a society that connects the people to the government such as elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media
Lobbying
Seeking to influence a political issue
Lobbyist
Some who is employed to persuade legislators to vote for legislation that favors the lobbyist's employer
Malapportionment
Broad variance in the size of electoral constituencies resulting in disproportionate representation for a given voter
Mass media
A means of public communication reaching a large audience
McConnell v FEC
Found that the restrictions set forth by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act were necessary to achieve government legitimate interest in corruption and prohibited "electioneering communication"
Media
The means of mass communication regarded collectively
Medium
A material or base on which information is stored or transmitted
National chairperson
Day to day party manager elected by a party's national committee
National convention
A convention of major political party
New media
Broad term that implies access to content anytime, anywhere, on any digital device, and interactive feedback, creative participation, and community formation around the media content
Non-governmental organizations
Legally constituted organization created by natural or legal citizens that operates independently from the government
Open primary
A primary in which voters are not required to declare party affiliation
Open seat
Refers to a seat in the House of Representatives or the Senate that is to be vacated by the incumbent due to resignation or not running for re-election
Party de-alignment
Refers to the weakening ties between two major political parties and the voters
Party era
The span of a ruling party from beginning to end
Party platform
A list of actions which a political party, candidate, or organization supports in order to appeal to the general public
Party realignment
Refers to the switching of voter preference from one party to another
Plurality election
Election in which one member is elected at a time and the process is repeated until the number of vacancies is filled
PAC's
Private group organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political office
Political parties
Political organization that seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office
Post-convention bounce
Surge of supports that presidential candidates in a party receive after the televised national convention of that party
Primary
A preliminary election to appoint delegates or a party conference or to select the candidates for a presidential election
Print media
A medium that communicates through newspapers, magazines, and other printed material
Public agenda
Issues and events that the media decides to put the most emphasis on
Red states
States that voted Republican in a presidential election
Redistricting
The process of drawing electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes
Safe seat
Refers to a seat in the House of Representatives or Senate that stands little chance of being lost by the incumbent or political party
Single-issue parties
Political party that campaigns and supports one essential policy area or idea
Soft money
A contribution to a political party that does not have legal limitations
Sophomore surge
Refers to an increase in votes that congressional candidates usually receive when running for their first re-election
Sound bite
A very short piece of a speech taken from a longer speech or interview which considered being most important
Split-ticket voting
Refers to a ballot on which the voter has chosen candidates from different political parties
Super PAC's
PAC's not directly affiliated with a political candidate that can raise unlimited sums from corporations, unions and other groups or individuals
Super-delegates
A term for some of the delegates to the Democratic National Convention
Swing State
State in which no single candidate or party has overwhelming support in securing the state's electoral college votes
Think tank
Organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues
Third parties
A political party in opposition to the existing two major parties in a two party system
Two party system
A system where two major political parties dominate voting in nearly all elections at every level of government and as a result, all or nearly all offices are members of one of the two major parties
Winner take all system
Where the winner of a state receives all of the delegates of electoral votes
Winner takes all system
The single winner of an election is the person with the most votes
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