AP Gov - Unit 3

Access Points

Places where citizens and groups are able to connect with elected officials and/or bureaucrats to try to influence public policy

Agenda-setting

Determination of policy priorities

Amicus curiae brief

“friend of the court” brief filed by an interest group to endeavor to influence a Supreme Court decision

Apportionment

Determination of the number of seats each state will receive in the House of Representatives following the census

Balancing the ticket

Occurs when a presidential nominee chooses a vice president running mate who has different qualities in order to attract more votes for the ticket

Bipartisanship

Support from both parties for policy

Blanket primary

Election to choose candidates that is open to independents, and that allows voters to choose candidates from all the parties

Candidate-centered campaigns

Focused on the personal appeal of the individual candidate rather than the positions and philosophies embraced by the party with which the candidate is identified

Caucus

Local party meeting to choose a candidate (an alternative to a primary election) OR a meeting of individuals who share a common characteristic

Coattail effect

The positive influence of a popular presidential candidate on the election of congressional candidates of the same party

Closed primary

Party election to choose candidates that is closed to independents. Voters may not cross party lines

Coalitions

A group of individuals or smaller groups united in support of a common cause (even if they don’t have any other areas of agreement)

Committee leadership system

Theory that congressional committees are the primary drivers of policymaking within Congress

Direct election

Election of an official directly by the people rather than by an intermediary group such as the Electoral College

Direct primary

Election in which the people choose candidates for office

Divided government

Government in which one party controls the presidency while another party controls the Congress (i.e. holds a majority of seats in the House and Senate)

Fixed terms

Terms of office that have a definite length of time, e.g., two years for a member of the House

Free rider problem

The problem faced by interest groups when citizens can reap benefits of interest group action without actually joining, participating in, or contributing money to such groups

Frontloading

Scheduling presidential primary elections early (e.g., February or March) in an election year

General election

Election in which the officeholders are chosen

Gerrymandering

Redrawing district lines to favor one party at the expense of the other

Hard money

Campaign contributions donated directly to candidates

Incumbent

An officeholder who is seeking reelection

Incumbency advantage

The assets available to elected officeholders that facilitate their chances of winning re-election (gerrymandering, franking, donation advantages, name recognition, etc.)

Iron triangle

An informal association of federal agency, congressional committee, and interest group that is said to have heavy influence over policy making

Issue advocacy ads

Ads that focus on issues and do not explicitly encourage citizens to vote for a certain candidate

Issue Network

An informal and loosely organized coalition of individuals and groups with a common interest who jointly advocate for and endeavor to implement preferred policy

Linkage institution

Any entity that connects people to policymakers and enables them to communicate their preferences, such as political parties, interest groups, and the mass media

Litigation

The act or process of carrying out a lawsuit

Lobbying

Attempting to influence policy makers

Midterm election

The general elections held halfway through a Presidential term, involving all of the House of Representatives seats and approximately one-third of Senate seats, as well as some state and local races

Mobilization

The process of ensuring your supporters show up and vote on election day or take action to try to influence policy

Nonpartisan elections

Elections in which candidates are not identified by party membership on the ballot - typically local offices i.e. school board, city council, judge

Open primary

Election to choose candidates that is open to independents, and in which voters may choose candidates from any one party

Partisan

Strongly affiliate with a party

Party leadership system

Theory that political parties are the primary drivers of policymaking within Congress

Party platform

A list of positions and programs that the party adopts at the national convention. Each position is called a plank

Photo opportunity

A staged campaign event that attracts favorable visual media coverage, e.g., a candidate reading to a group of school children

Political Action Committee (PAC)

An interest group that raises funds and donates to election campaigns

Patronage

Appointing loyal party members to government positions

Plurality

More votes than anyone else, but less than half

Realigning (“critical”) election

An election in which there is a long term change in party alignment

Reapportionment/Apportionment

Reallocations of House seats to the states on the basis of changes in state populations, as determined by the census

Redistricting

Redrawing of congressional district boundaries by the party in power of the state legislature

Revolving door

The cycle in which a person alternatively works for the public sector and private sector, thus blurring the individual's sense of loyalty

Safe seat

An office that is extremely likely to be won by a particular candidate or political party

Single member district system/Winner-Take-All voting district

System in which the people elect one representative per district. This system strengthens the two major parties and weakens minor parties

Soft money

Campaign contributions that are not donated directly to candidates, but are instead donated to parties

Structural barriers to voting

Official laws and/or policies that diminish participation in elections, such as registration requirements, voter identification laws, and voting procedures and locations

Superdelegate

A delegate to the Democratic national convention who is there by virtue of holding an office and is not bound to state results

Super Tuesday

A Tuesday in early March in which many presidential primaries, particularly in the South, are held

Swing state

A state that does not consistently vote either Democratic or Republican in presidential primaries

Turnout

Information about the quantity and/or demography of voters who participated in a given election

Unit rule

A rule used for most states at the Republican Party’s national convention wherein the candidate with the most delegates from a state is awarded all of the state’s convention votes