AP government, 5.5-5.13 third parties/interest groups vocab study cards

minor parties/third parties

Formed to spread ideas/awareness when major parties are not talking about it

ideological parties

Parties based on a particular set of beliefs, a comprehensive view of social, economic, and political matters

splinter parties

a small organization, typically a political party, that has broken away from a larger one.

single-issue parties

Parties that concentrate on only one public policy matter

single-member districts

electoral district from which one person is chosen by the voters for each elected office

winner-take-all voting

any voting procedure in which the candidate with the most votes gets all of the seats or delegates at stake

Swing States

In a presidential race, highly competitive states in which both major party candidates stand a good chance of winning the state's electoral votes, or that both major parties have similar chances to win.

Lobbying

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

free rider

An individual who does not to join a group representing his or her interests yet receives the benefit of the group's influence.

Iron Triangles

the relatively ironclad relationships and patterns of interaction that occur among agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees

public interest groups

groups that claim they serve the general good rather than only their own particular interest

revolving door

Employment cycle in which individuals who work for governmental agencies that regulate interests eventually end up working for interest groups or businesses with the same policy concern.

single-issue groups

groups that have a narrow interest on which their members tend to take an uncompromising stance

blanket primaries

elections to select party nominees in which voters are presented with a list of candidates from all the parties. Voters can then select some Democrats and some Republicans if they like.

Caucuses

meetings of party leaders to determine party policy or to choose the party's candidates for public office

closed primary

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

Electoral College

A group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president

front-loading

The recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media attention.

incumbent

An officeholder who is seeking reelection.

invisable primary

period of time between when candidates express interest in running and the start of the primary where they raise money & organize

open primary

A primary election in which voters may choose in which party to vote as they enter the polling place

split ticket

voting for candidates of different parties for various offices in the same election

winner-take-all

An almost obsolete system whereby a presidential aspirant who won the preference vote in a primary automatically won all the delegates chosen in the primary

coattail effect

The boost that candidates may get in an election because of the popularity of candidates above them on the ballot, especially the president.

Political Action Committees

an organization that raises money privately to influence elections or legislation, especially at the federal level.

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002

Largely banned party soft money, restored a long-standing prohibition on corporations and labor unions for using general treasury funds for electoral purposes, and narrowed the definition of issue advocacy.

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

A 2010 landmark Supreme Court case that ruled that individuals, corporations, and unions could donate unlimited amounts of money to groups that make independent political expenditures.

federal elections commissions

an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 1975 by the United States Congress to regulate the campaign finance legislation in the United States

hard money

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

soft money

Campaign contributions unregulated by federal or state law, usually given to parties and party committees to help fund general party activities.

Super PAC (Political Action Committee)

political-action committee that is allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money from corporations, unions, individuals and associations. Some nonprofit groups are allowed to contribute to super PACs without disclosing where their money came from; The most important difference between a super PAC and traditional candidate PAC is in who can contribute, and in how much they can give.

Gatekeeper

The media can influence what subjects become national political issues and for how long.

horse race journalism

Election coverage by the mass media that focuses on which candidate is ahead rather than on national issues.

Score Keeper

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

watchdog

The role played by the national media in investigating political personalities and exposing scandals.

FCC (Federal Communications Commission)

The government agency charged with regulating the electronic media