Unit 6 Vocabulary

Straw poll

unscientific survey used to gauge public opinion on a variety of issues and policies

Random sampling

a method of poll selection that gives each person in a group the same chance of being selected.

Stratified sampling

a variation of random sampling the population is divided into subgroups and weighted based on demographic characteristics of the national population.

Tracking polls

continuous surveys that enable a campaign or news organization to chart a candidate’s daily rise or fall in support

Political socialization

the process through which individuals acquire their political beliefs and values.

Liberal

one who favors greater government intervention, particularly in economic affairs and in the provision of social services.

Conservative

one who favors limited government intervention, particularly in economic affairs

Moderate

a person who takes a relatively centrist or middle-of-the-road view on most political issues.

Primaries

election in which voters decide which of the candidates within a party will represent the party in the general election

Closed primaries

a primary election in which only a party’s registered voters are eligible to cast a ballot

Open primaries

a primary election in which party members, independents, and sometimes members of the other party are allowed to participate

Initiative

an election that allows citizens to propose legislation or state constitutional amendments by submitting them to the electorate for popular vote.

Referendum

an election whereby the state legislature submits proposed legislation or state constitutional amendments to the voters for approval

Recall

an election in which voters can remove an incumbent from office prior to the next scheduled election.

Caucus

a closed meeting of members of the same political party at the state level to vote in candidates for President and to select delegates to represent that state at the National Convention late in the summer

Superdelegate

delegate to the Democratic Party’s national convention whose vote at the convention is unpledged to a candidate; this position is reserved for a party official.

Front-loading

the tendency of states to choose an early date on the nomination calendar.

Ballot measures

Initiative and referendum processes are collectively known as this; both allow voters to enact public policy. They are used by some state and local governments, but not by the national government.

Gerrymandering

the drawing of congressional districts to produce a particular electoral outcome without regard to the shape of the district

Ticket-splitting

voting for candidates of different parties for various offices in the same election

Voter Registration Act of 1993

sets forth certain voter registration requirements with respect to elections for federal office

Help America Vote Act

Following the 2000 election, the federal government enacted this act in order to aid states in upgrading voting equipment so that voting could be made more accessible, easier, more approachable, and more reliable to all U.S. citizens.

Voting Rights Act

signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote as guaranteed under the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

get-out-the-vote (GOTV)

a push at the end of a political campaign to encourage supporters to go to the polls

Midterm elections

an election that takes place in the middle of a presidential term