Political Ideologies & Political Participation Vocab

Political ideology

belief systems (general values) that provide people with a perspective on the proper role of elected officials

Political spectrum

a way of comparing or visualizing different political ideologies

Liberal

supports active gov't role in economy and gov't enforcement of progressive values

Conservative

supports minimal gov't role in economy and gov't enforcement of traditional values

Political socialization

lifelong process by which people form their ideas about politics

Demographics

characteristics of a population, such as income, race, education, sex, and occupations

Political culture

set of attitudes and practices held by people that shapes their political behavior, including moral judgments, political myths, beliefs, and ideas about what makes for a good society

Moderate

a person who holds political views that are in the center of the political spectrum

Libertarian

supports little to no government action and intervention in most things

exit polls

a poll of voters taken immediately after they have exited the polling stations

electorate

all the people in a country or area who are entitled to vote in an election

political polarization

vast and growing ideological gap between liberals and conservatives, Republicans and Democrats

voter turnout

the proportion of eligible voters who actually vote in a given election

rational choice voting

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

retrospective voting

voting based on one's opinion on whether the party or candidate in power should be re-elected based on the recent past

prospective voting

voting based on prediction of how a party or candidate will perform in the future

party-line voting (straight-ticket voting)

support a party by voting for candidates from one political party for all public offices

Open primary

voters may vote to choose the candidates of either party

Closed primary

only voters registered in the party may vote to choose the party's candidate

Caucus

local meeting system of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement

National Party Convention

large event where delegates from all states gather to formally vote for their paty's candidate for the general election

Midterm election

an election in which voters select members of congress but not the president, held midway between presidential elections.

Winner-take all

election system in which the candidate with the most votes wins all the electoral college value of a state, also called single-member district electoral system

Delegate

person who will go and vote on their state's behalf

Battleground states

states in which the electorate is evenly divided and the outcome of an election is unknown (too close to call)

Electoral College

a system of indirect election of the president, in which electors (also called delegates) from each state choose the president; the number of electors each state gets is equal to the number of members the state has in Congress

Hard money

money donated directly to a candidate or candidate's campaign

Soft money

money given to a political party that is then given to the candidate

Political Action Committee (PAC)

fundraising part of a corporation, labor union, or non

Incumbent

politician running for reelection to the office he or she currently holds

Independent expenditures

a political campaign communication that expressly advocates for the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate that is not made in cooperation, consultation or concert with or at the request or suggestion of a candidate

Super PAC

a type of independent political action committee which may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, and individuals but is not permitted to contribute to or coordinate directly with parties or candidates.

Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

Struck down the provision of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act that banned the use of corporate or union money to fund independent political broadcasts in candidate elections because it violated the First Amendment.