Studied by 2 people
party realignment
dramatic shifts in partisan preferences that drastically alter the political landscape
critical election
an election that signals a party realignment through voter polarization around new issues and personalities
secular alignment
the gradual rearrangement of party coalitions, based more on demographic shifts than on shocks to the political system
candidate centered politics
politics that focus on the candidates, their particular issues, and character rather than party affiliation
national convention
a party meeting held in the presidential election year for the purposes of nominating a presidential & vice presidential ticket and adopting a platform
party polarization
the presence of increasingly conflicting and divided viewpoints between the Democratic and Republican parties
FEC
the Federal Election Commission is an independent federal agency that was created to enforce the nation’s election laws
Hatch Act
the 1939 act to prohibit civil servants from taking activist roles in partisan campaigns. It prohibited federal employees from making political campaign contributions
FECA
Federal Election Campaign Act (1974) made it legal for businesses, labor unions, and interest groups to form into political action committees (PACs)
BCRA
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002; it was an act to amend the FECA of 1971 to provide bipartisan campaign reform
PAC
political action committees; officially recognized fundraising organizations that represent interest groups and are allowed by federal law to make contributions directly to candidates’ campaigns
Super PACs
political action committees established to make independent expenditures
527 political committee
organizations created with the primary purpose of influencing electoral outcomes; the term is typically applied only to freestanding interest groups that do not explicitly advocate for the election of a candidate.
501(c) groups
interest groups whose primary purpose is not electoral politics
independent expenditures
spending for a campaign activity that is not coordinated with a candidate’s campaign
contrast ads
ad that compares the records and proposals of the candidates, with a bias toward the candidate sponsoring the ad
inoculation ads
advertising that attempts to counteract an anticipated attack from the opposition before the attack is launched
hard money
campaign money raised for a specific candidate in federal elections and spent according to federal laws and restrictions
soft money
campaign money raised apart from federal regulation and can be given directly to one candidate
GOTV
get-out-the-vote; a push at the end of a political campaign to encourage supporters to go to the polls
Note 
Flashcard (59)