Key Terms Exam 2 Ginsberg Chapter 9 10 8 12 Chapter 9 10 02 2014 Political Parties Organized groups that attempt to influence the government by electing their members to important government offices Two Party System A political system in which only two parties have a realistic opportunity to compete effectively for control Electoral Realignment The point in history when a new party supplants the ruling party becoming in turn the dominant political force in the United States this has tended to occur roughly every 30 years Divided Government The condition in American government wherein the presidency is controlled by one party while the opposing party controls one or both houses Party Polarization The division between the two major parties on most policy issues with members of each party unified around their party s positions with little crossover Third Parties Parties that organize to compete against the two major American political parties Party Organization The formal structure of a political party including its leadership election committees active members and paid staff Caucus political A normally closed meeting of apolitical or legislative group to select candidates plan strategy or make decisions regarding legislative matters National Convention A national party political institution that nominates the party s presidential and vice presidential candidates establishes party rules and writes and ratifies the party s platform Platform A party document written at a national convention that contains party s philosophy principles and positions on issues Soft Money Money contributed directly to political parties and other organizations for political activities that is not regulated by federal campaign spending laws in 2002 federal law prohibited unregulated donations to national party committees 527 committees Nonprofit independent groups that receive and disburse funds to influence the nomination election or defeat of candidates Named after Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code which defines and grants tax exempt status to nonprofit advocacy groups Machines Strong party organizations in late nineteenth and early twentieth century American cities These machines were led by bosses who controlled party nominations and patronage Patronage the resources available to higher officials usually opportunities to make partisan appointments to offices and to confer grants licenses or special favors to supporters Party Identification An individual voter s psychological ties to one party or another Party Activists Partisans who contribute time energy and effort to support their party and its candidates Gender Gap A distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting the differences in views between women and men Nomination The process by which political parties select their candidates for election to public office Policy Entrepreneur An individual who identifies a problem as a political issue and brings a policy proposal into the political agenda Majority Party The party that holds the majority of legislative seats Minority Party The party that holds a minority of legislative seats in in either the House or Senate either the House or Senate Chapter 10 Midterm Elections Congressional elections that do not coincide with a presidential election also called off year elections Primary Election Elections held to select a a party s candidate for the general election Closed Primary A primary election in which voters can participate in the nomination of candidates but only of the party in which they are enrolled for a period of time prior to the primary day Open Primary A primary election in which the voter can wait until the day of the primary to choose which party to enroll in to select candidates for the general election General Election A regularly scheduled election involving most districts in the nation or state in which voters select officeholders in the United States general elections for national office and most state and local offices are held on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November in even numbered years every four years for presidential elections Runoff Election A second round election in which voters choose between the top two candidates from the first round Majority System A type of electoral system in which to win a seat in the parliament or other representative body a candidate must receive a majority of all votes cast in the relevant district Plurality System A type of electoral system in which to win a seat in the parliament or other representative body a candidate need only receive the most votes in the election not necessarily a majority of votes cast Proportional Representation A multiple member district system that allows each political party representation in proportion to its percentage of the total vote Straight ticket voting Selecting candidates from the same political party for all offices on the ballot Coattail Effect The result of the voters casting their ballot for president or governor and automatically voting for the remainder of the party s ticket Redistricting The process of redrawing election districts and redistributing legislative representatives This happens every ten years to reflect shifts in population or in respond to legal challenges in exiting districts Majority Minority District A gerrymandered voting district that improves the chances of minority candidates by making selected minority groups the majority within the district Electoral College The presidential electors from each state who meet after the popular election to cast ballots for president and vice president Delegate Political activist selected to vote at a party s national convention Superdelegate A Convention delegate position in Democratic conventions reserved for party officials Ballot Initiative A proposed law or policy change that is placed on the ballot by citizens or interest groups for a popular vote Referendum The practice of referring a proposed law passed by a legislature to the vote of the electorate for approval or rejection Recall A procedure to allow voters to remove state officials from office before their terms expire by circulating petitions to call a vote Campaign In effort by political candidate and their supporters to win the backing of donors political activists and voters in their quest for political office Incumbent A candidate running for reelection to a position that he or she already holds Town Hall Meeting An informal public meeting in which
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