an organized group of party leaders, officeholders, and voters that work together to elect candidates to political office
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straight-ticket voting
voting for all of the candidates on the ballot from one political party
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split-ticket voting
voting for candidates from different parties in the same election
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party platform
a set of positions and policy objectives that members of a political party agree to
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recruitment
the process through which political parties identify potential candidates
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party coalition
groups of voters who support a political party over time
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realignment
when the groups of people who support a political party shift their allegiance to a different political party
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critical election
a major national election that signals a change in the balance of power between the two parties
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party era
a time period when one party wins most national elections
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era of divided government
a trend since 1969, in which one party controls one or both houses of congress and the president is from the opposing party
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nomination
the formal process through which parties choose their candidates for political office
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delegate
a person who acts as the voters’ representative at a convention to select the party’s presidential nominee
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primary election
an election in which a state’s voters choose delegates who support a candidate for nomination
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open primary
a primary election in which all eligible voters may vote, regardless of their partisan affiliation
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closed primary
a primary election in which only registered voters from a political party may vote
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caucus
a process through which a state’s eligible voters meet to select delegates to represent their preferences in the nomination process
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superdelegate
usually a party leader or activist who is not pledged to a candidate based on the outcome of the state’s primary or caucus
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front-loading
a decision by a state to push its primary or caucus to a date as early in the season as possible to become more influential in the nomination process
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national convention
a meeting where delegates officially select their party’s nominee for the presidency
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candidate-centered campaign
a trend in which candidates develop their own strategies and raise money with less influence from the party elite
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two-party system
a system in which two political parties dominate politics, winning almost all elections
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proportional representation system
an election system for a legislature in which citizens vote for parties, rather than individuals, and parties are represented in the legislature according to the percentage of the vote they receive
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single-member plurality system
an election system for choosing members of the legislature where the winner is the candidate who receives the most votes, even if the candidate does not receive a majority of the votes
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third party
a minor political party in competition with the two major parties
Studied by 15 people
