US Gov. Vocab - Chapter 10

Landslide

a great majority of votes for one side

Compensation

something given or received as an equivalent for services

Presidential succession

the order in which officials fill the office of president in case of a vacancy

Elector

a member of a political party chosen in each state to formally elect the president and vice president

Electoral college

the institution that is composed of a set of electors who are chosen to elect a president and vice president into office every four years

Winner-take-all System

the system used by the Electoral College in almost every state in which the candidate who receives the most popular votes in a given state wins all the electoral votes for that state

Political Action Committee (PAC)

an organization formed to collect money and provide financial support for political candidates

Federal Election Commission (FEC)

an independent regulatory agency created by Congress to enforce federal election laws

Primary

first in order of time or development

Caucus

an event held before an election where members of a political party select delegates to send to the national party convention, where they will also vote to nominate a candidate

Convention

a meeting where political party members who have been chosen as delegates from each state vote for the candidate supported by their state's voters

Third-party candidate

someone who represents a political party that is neither Democrat nor Republican