AP Gov Unit 5 Vocab

Incumbent

the official who holds an office

Coattails

the alleged tendency of candidates to win more votes in an election because of the presence at the top of the ticket of a better-known candidate, such as the president

PAC (political action committee)

committee formed by a special-interest group to raise money for their favorite political candidates

Caucus

a private meeting of party leaders to choose candidates for office

Primary

a preliminary election where delegates or nominees are chosen

Front-loaded Campaign

the practice of moving presidential primary elections to the early part of the campaign, to maximize the impact of certain states or regions on the nomination.

General Election

an election held to choose which candidate will hold office

Open Primary

a primary in which any registered voter can vote (but must vote for candidates of only one party)

Closed Primary

a primary in which only registered members of a particular political party can vote

Blanket Primary

a primary election in which each voter may vote for candidates from both parties

Federal Election Commission (FEC)

A six-member bipartisan agency created by the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974. The FEC administers and enforces campaign finance laws.

Buckley v. Valeo (1976)

a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States upheld federal limits on campaign contributions and ruled that spending money to influence elections is a form of constitutionally protected free speech. The court also stated candidates can give unlimited amounts of money to their own campaigns.

Hard Money

Political contributions given to a party, candidate, or interest group that are limited in amount and fully disclosed.

Soft Money

political contributions made in such a way as to avoid the United States regulations for federal election campaigns (as by contributions to a political action committee)

Prospective Voting

voting for a candidate because you favor his or her ideas for handling issues

Retrospective Voting

voting for a candidate because you like his or her past actions in office

Split Ticket Voting

Voting for candidates of different parties for different offices at the same election

Straight Ticket Voting (aka "party line" voting)

practice of voting for candidates of only one party in an election

"Winner-Take-All" Primaries

an election in which the candidate who gets the most votes gets all the delegates

Super Tuesday

Day when several states hold their presidential primaries

Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

A case challenging the Federal Election Commission's ruling that the documentary film entitled Hilary produced by a non profit corporation and funded by for-profit corporations constituted a violation of the ban on corporate contributions to federal campaigns.The Supreme Court ruled that corporate funding of independent political ads in candidate elections cannot be limited under the first amendment

linkage institution

channels that connect individuals with government, including elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media

15th Amendment

gave African American men the right to vote

19th Amendment

Gave women the right to vote

23rd Amendment

gave residents of Washington DC the right to vote

24th Amendment

Abolishes poll taxes

26th Amendment

Lowered the voting age from 21 to 18

17th Amendment

Established the direct election of senators (instead of being chosen by state legislatures)

Rational Choice Voting

Voting based on what is perceived to be in the citizen's individual interest

voter turnout

the percentage of eligible citizens who actually vote in a given election

structural barriers

things that keep people from voting (long lines, voter registration laws, voter ID laws, etc)

political efficacy

The belief that one's political participation makes a difference.

Political Apathy

Lack of interest in political participation; feels that their vote does not matter

political party platform

A document that outlines the beliefs, values, and plans of a political party.

party national convention

nominating conventions to select the party's candidate and running mate for the general election

party dealignment

the gradual disengagement of people and politicians from the parties; moving to being more moderate/independent

interest groups

private organizations whose members share certain views and work to shape public policy

lobbying

Engaging in activities aimed at influencing public officials, especially legislators, and the policies they enact.

iron triangles

A mutually dependent relationship between bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees. They dominate some areas of domestic policymaking.

free rider problem

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

grassroots lobbying

indirect lobbying efforts that spring from widespread public concern

grasstops lobbying

Using a prominent personality (someone who is an important supporter of a member of Congress) to endorse your issue position with the assumption may be more influential in persuading voters

electoral college

a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president.

dark ads

anonymously placed status updates, photos, videos, or links that appear only in the target audience's social media news feeds but not in the general feeds

horse race journalism

news coverage that focuses on who is ahead rather than on the issues

sound bite

a brief, memorable comment that can easily be fit into news broadcasts

score keeper

The national media keep track of and help make political reputations.

gate keeper

what is news and for how long; sets and swings political agenda

watch dog

the role played by a media organization that exposes illegal practices, corruption, or waste