Untitled Flashcard Set

Political Party

An organized group of people with shared goals and ideals who run candidates for office to control government and enact policies.

Linkage Institution

Groups or institutions that translate people's issues and concerns into government policy, including elections, political parties, interest groups, and media.

Rational-Choice Theory

A theory that explains voter and politician actions based on maximizing favorable policy adoption and winning elections.

Ticket-Splitting

Voting for candidates of different parties for various offices on the ballot.

Straight ticket

Voting for candidates of only one party for various offices on the ballot.

Party Machines

Political party organizations that rely on material inducements, such as patronage, to win votes.

Patronage

The practice of giving jobs, promotions, or government contracts to gain votes and control government.

Closed Primary

An election for party representatives where voters must register with the party in advance to participate.

Open Primary

An election allowing voters to choose to participate in either the Democrat or Republican primary on election day.

Blanket Primary

An election allowing voters to vote in both the Democrat and Republican primaries.

National Convention

A meeting of party delegates to write the party platform and nominate the presidential ticket, held every four years.

National Committee

Representatives of the national party (Democrat/Republican) between national conventions.

National Chairperson

The head of the national committee, responsible for the day-to-day operations of the national party.

Coalition government

When two or more parties join together to form a majority in a national legislature, common in multiparty systems.

Party era

A time period where one party dominates and wins the majority of elections.

Critical Election

An election where new issues emerge and new coalitions replace old ones, often due to a national crisis.

Party Realignment

The process in which the majority party is replaced by the minority party in government.

Party Dealignment

The gradual disengagement of people and politicians from political parties.

Party Neutrality

A term describing the indifference many Americans have toward the two major political parties.

Third parties

Political parties other than the two major parties (Democrats/Republicans), which rarely win elections.

Proportional representation

A system where a candidate wins a portion of delegates based on the percentage of votes received.

Polarization

The presence of increasingly conflicting and divided viewpoints between Democrats and Republicans.

Responsible party model

A view that parties should offer clear choices to voters and fulfill their campaign promises once in office.

New Deal Coalition

A coalition formed by Democrats from the 1930s to the 1960s, including diverse groups like the urban working class and ethnic minorities.

Candidate-centered politics

Politics that prioritize candidates and their issues over party affiliation.

Secular realignments

Gradual rearrangements of party coalitions based on demographic shifts rather than political crises.

Superdelegate

National party leaders with delegate slots at the national party convention, specific to the Democratic Party.

Think tanks

Collections of policy-oriented researchers and academics who provide policy ideas.

Party Platform

A statement of a political party’s goals and policies, rewritten every four years at their national convention.