APGOPO Unit 5

Primary Election

A preliminary election to appoint delegates to a party conference or to select candidates for a principal.

Caucus

Party members gather in person and discuss issues and vote in various formats.

Open Primary

Any registered voter can pick candidates from any political party.

Closed Primary

The election for a closed primary is more restricted as voters declared to be party members are the only ones who can vote.

Semi-Closed Primary

Independent or unaffiliated voters can take part in the primary election of any political party. Meanwhile, voters with political affiliation can only take part in their political parties' primary election.

Pledged Delegate

Must support the candidate they were awarded through the primary or caucus process.

Unpledged Delegate

Can support any candidate they choose.

Superdelegate

a party leader who is not pledged to a candidate based on the outcome of a primary election or caucus.

General Election

A regular election for statewide offices.

Popular Vote

The choice expressed through the votes of the electorate.

Electoral College

A body of electors chosen by a larger body of people.

Linkage institution

a structure within a society that connects the people to the government or centralized authority.

Social movement

a large group of people who are organized to promote or resist some social change

Suffrage

the right to vote.

15th Amendment

Granted African American men the right to vote.

19th Amendment

Granted women the right to vote.

26th Amendment

Established the national voting age of 18.

Winner-take-all system

An election in which the candidate who receives the majority or plurality of votes wins all the seats or representation.

Battleground states

A state that could reasonably be won by either democratic or republican parties.

Party platform

A set of principles and goals a party holds.

Third parties

A political party organized as an alternative to the major parties in a two party system.

Two - party system

A system where two parties largely dominate the political setting.

Single - Plurality Voting

A system where the candidate with the most votes wins.

Proportional representation

A system where seats in the legislature are given based on the proportions of the votes given to each political party.

Rational choice voting

Voting for someone that will enact policies that directly affect you.

Retrospective voting

Looking back at past performance before making a choice.

Prospective Voting

Vote for the candidate that promises to do something that aligns with your ideals.

Party-line (Straight Ticket) Voting

When a person votes for a single party on every issue.

Political party

A group of people with similar political interests.

Interest group

A group of people that support a common interest or goal that seek to influence policy making.

Economic interest group

Interest groups that are made with the primary goal of influencing economic policies.

Public Interest Group

An interest group with the main focus on public policy.

Single-Issue Group

A group that focuses on one single issue of public policy.

Government Interest Group

An interest group looking to influence government policies.

Collective Action

Any form of organized action that looks to influence a change.

Free Rider

When someone reaps benefits without making any personal contributions.

Lobbying

engaging in activities aimed to influence policy makers.

Legislative Lobbying

Lobbying aimed at influencing the legislature.

Grassroots Lobbying

An attempt to influence the legislature by affecting the opinions of the public.

Judicial Lobbying

Attempting to influence policies by using public pressure to influence officials.

Executive Lobbying

Amicus Curiae

A “friend of the court” brief that provides additional information from someone who is not directly involved with the case but has an interest in it.

Hard Money

Political donations that are regulated by the law.

Political Action Committees (PACs)

Organizations that raise and spend money to elect or defeat a candidate.

Soft Money

Money given to political parties for uses other than supporting a candidate.

527 Organizations

Tax exempt organizations made to influence the selection, nomination, and election of candidates to the public.

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act

An amendment to the federal election campaign act that regulates spending for campaigns.

Super PACs

PACs that are given unlimited funding from individuals, corporations, other PACs, and labor unions.

501c4 Groups

Non profit group that may legally address political matters but may not lobby or campaign.

Agenda Setting

The power of the media through news coverage to focus the attention of the public on particular events, problems and issues.

Horse Race Journalism

The media's tendency to focus the media coverage on whoever is winning at the time.

Consumer Driven Media Outlets

Media whose actions are driven by the needs and interests of consumers.

Holding

a procedural tactic used by senators to delay or block a nomination for a federal position, such as a cabinet member or judge

Reasoning

the explanatory process of connecting evidence to a claim or thesis