AP Gov Chapter 11 Vocab

political party

an organized group that may include office holders, candidates, activists, and voters who pursue their common interests by gaining and exercising power through the electoral process

candidate-centered politics

politics that focus on the candidates, their particular issues, and character rather than party affiliation

party realignment

dramatic shifts in partisan preferences that drastically alter the political landscape

critical election

an election that signals a party realignment through voter polarization around new issues and personalities

secular realignment

the gradual rearrangement of party coalitions, based more on demographic shifts than on shocks to the political system

National Convention

a party meeting held in the presidential election year for the purposes of nominating a presidential and vice presidential ticket and adopting a platform

Superdelegate

delegate to each party's national convention that is reserved for a party official and whose vote at the convention is unpledged to a candidate

national party platform

a statement of the general and specific philosophy and policy goals of a political party, usually promulgated at the national convention

party identification

A citizen's attachment to a political party based on issues, ideology, past experience, or upbringing, which tends to be a reliable indicator of likely voting choices.

proportional representation

a voting system that apportions legislative seats according to the percentage of the vote won by a particular political party

winner-take-all system

an electoral system in which the party that receives at least one more vote than any other party wins the election

partisan polarization

the presence of increasingly conflicting and divided viewpoints between the Democratic and Republican Parties

political machine

A party organization that recruits voter loyalty with tangible incentives and is characterized by a high degree of control over member activity

chattal slavery

a form of human enslavement where one person owns another person and their offspring as property. The enslaved person can be bought, sold, given, or inherited, and is forced to work without pay

pork barrel

legislation that allows representatives to bring money and jobs to their districts in the form of public works programs, military bases, or other programs

Joe Biden

elected 46th president of the United States, a democrat, who ran against President Donald J. Trump in 2020. Vice President from 2009 to 2016; Delaware senator from 1973 to 2009

affective polarization

a dislike or distrust those from one political party have for the other party