Interest Groups and Political Party Terminology

political party

an organized group of people who share similar political beliefs and work together to influence government policy and gain political power.

one-party system

a political system in which only one political party is allowed to exist or is dominant, effectively eliminating competition.

two-party system

a political system in which two major parties exist, often representing specific issues or ideologies.

third party

any political party that is not one of the two major parties in a two-party system, often representing specific issues or ideologies.

single-issue party

a political party that focuses exclusively on one specific area of public policy, such as the environment or education.

ideological party

a political party that is based on a specific set of beliefs or ideology, such as socialism or libertarianism.

splinter party

a political party that has broken away from a larger party, often because of a disagreement over policies or leadership.

single-member district

an electoral district that elects one representative to a legislative body.

proportional representation

an electoral system in which parties gain seats in proportion to the number of votes they receive.

liberal

a political ideology that typically advocates for social equality, civil rights, and progressive reforms.

conservative

a political ideology that generally emphasizes tradition, limited government, and free markets.

moderate

a political position that falls between liberal and conservative ideologies, often advocating for compromise.

Democratic Party

one of the two major political parties in the United States, generally associated with liberal policies.

Republican Party

the other major political party in the United States, typically associated with conservative policies.

platform

a formal set of principles and policies that a political party supports and promotes during an election.

party identification

an individual's psychological attachment to a particular political party.

independent

a voter or candidate who does not formally align with any political party.

polarize

to cause a group to divide into opposing factions, often resulting in extreme positions on issues.

centrist

a person or political position that advocates for moderate policies and seeks compromise between extremes.

direct primary

an election in which party members vote directly for their preferred candidate to represent the party in the general election.

closed primary

a primary election in which only registered party members can vote to select their party's candidate.

open primary

A primary election in which voters can choose which party's primary to participate in, regardless of their own party affiliation.

plurality

The largest number of votes received by a candidate or party, but not necessarily a majority.

ticket

The candidates running together on a single ballot for a particular office, usually from the same political party.

election

A formal process through which voters choose candidates for public office.

voting

The act of casting a ballot to express a choice in an election.

suffrage

The right to vote in political elections.

disenfranchise

To deprive someone of the right to vote.

grandfather clause

A provision that allows individuals to bypass certain regulations (like literacy tests) based on their ancestors' voting rights before a certain date.

literacy test

A requirement that voters demonstrate reading and writing skills, often used to disenfranchise certain groups.

poll tax

A fee required to vote, which was historically used to limit voting rights among low-income individuals.

midterm election

Elections held in the middle of a president's term, typically for congressional seats.

legislative referendum

A process by which voters are asked to approve or reject a law passed by the legislature.

straight party ticket

Voting for all candidates from one political party on a ballot.

propaganda

Information, often biased or misleading, used to promote a political cause or point of view.

corruption

The abuse of power for personal gain, often involving bribery or unethical behavior.

hard money

Political donations that are regulated by law and subject to limits.

political action committee (PAC)

An organization that raises and spends money to elect or defeat political candidates.

soft money

Unregulated contributions to political parties for general purposes, not directly tied to specific candidates.

super PACs

Independent expenditure-only committees that can raise unlimited amounts of money to advocate for or against candidates.

polling place

The location where voters go to cast their ballots.

precinct

A specific geographic area within which voters are assigned to vote at a polling place.

early voting

The ability to cast a ballot in person before the official Election Day.

absentee ballot

A ballot submitted by a voter who is unable to attend the polling place on Election Day, often sent by mail.