Campaigns and Elections

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to campaigns and elections, providing definitions to help the student prepare for their exam.

Election

A formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office.

Constitutional Amendment

A formal change to the Constitution; in this context, the 12th and 17th Amendments are important for presidential elections and senatorial elections respectively.

General Election

An election between candidates of different parties to fill a public office.

Primary Election

An election in which voters select a party's candidate for the general election.

Closed Primary

A primary election where only registered party members can vote to select their party's candidate.

Open Primary

A primary election where voters can choose candidates regardless of their party affiliation.

Electoral College

A body of electors established by the Constitution, created to elect the president and vice president of the United States.

Plurality

The largest number of votes received by a candidate, though not necessarily a majority.

Majority

More than 50% of the votes cast in an election.

Campaign Manager

The individual responsible for the overall strategy and execution of a political campaign.

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act

A law that regulates the financing of political campaigns and aims to limit the influence of money in politics.

Scientific Polls

Research methods that use statistical techniques to measure public opinion.

Straw Polls

Informal surveys of public opinion that are not scientifically valid.

Vote-by-Mail

A process allowing voters to cast their ballots remotely, typically using a mailed ballot.

Absentee Ballot

A ballot submitted by a voter who is not physically present at the polling place on Election Day.

Self-Announcement

A method of nomination in which an individual declares their intention to run for office.

Caucus

A meeting of party members to select candidates or decide policy matters.

Political Party

An organized group of people who share similar political ideologies and aim to elect their members to public office.

Suffrage/Franchise

The right to vote in political elections.

Voter Registration

The process of signing up to be eligible to vote in elections.

Incumbent

The current holder of a political office, usually seeking re-election.

Political Action Committee (PAC)

An organization formed to raise and spend money to elect and defeat candidates, often representing specific interests.

Super PAC

A type of independent political action committee which may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, associations, and individuals, then spend unlimited sums to overtly advocate for or against political candidates.

Gerrymandering

The practice of drawing electoral district boundaries to give one political party an unfair advantage over another.

Midterm Election

General elections in the United States that are held two years after a presidential election, typically determining the composition of Congress.

Presidential Primary/Caucus

The process by which voters in individual states select delegates to a national convention, where the party's presidential nominee is chosen.

National Convention

A meeting of a major political party, typically held every four years, to nominate a presidential candidate, adopt a party platform, and unify the party.

Electoral Vote

The vote cast by electors in the Electoral College for President and Vice President.

Popular Vote

The total number of individual votes cast for a candidate in an election, as opposed to electoral votes.

Voter Turnout

The percentage of eligible