Political Science Core Concepts Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering topics on Political Parties, Elections, Public Opinion, Mass Media, and Interest Groups based on lecture notes.

Political parties

Organizations that seek to influence government by winning elections and controlling government offices.

Strong partisanship, weak parties

The idea that Americans can have strong loyalty to a political party even though U.S. political parties themselves are relatively decentralized and less powerful than parties in many other countries.

Party organization

The formal structure of a political party, including national, state, and local party organizations that recruit candidates, raise money, and organize campaigns.

Party in government

Elected officials who belong to a political party and work together within government, such as members of Congress.

Party in the electorate

Citizens who identify with or support a particular political party.

Party system

The pattern of competition and relationships among political parties within a political system.

Spoils system

The practice of giving government jobs and other benefits to political supporters after winning an election.

Realignment

A major and lasting change in the political coalition supporting political parties, often changing patterns of party competition.

National committee

The central organization of a political party that coordinates national activities, fundraising, communication, and election efforts.

DNC

Democratic National Committee; the national organization that coordinates activities for the Democratic Party.

RNC

Republican National Committee; the national organization that coordinates activities for the Republican Party.

Political Action Committee (PAC)

An organization that raises and spends money to influence elections, usually by contributing to or supporting political candidates.

Issue ownership

The belief among voters that one political party is more capable or trustworthy than another on a particular issue.

Democratic caucus

The group of Democratic members of Congress who organize and coordinate their activities.

Republican conference

The group of Republican members of Congress who organize and coordinate their activities.

Unified government

A situation in which the same political party controls the presidency and both chambers of Congress.

Divided government

A situation in which different political parties control the presidency and at least one chamber of Congress.

Party polarization

The increasing ideological distance and disagreement between political parties.

Party identification / Party ID

A person's psychological attachment or identification with a political party.

Negative partisanship

Supporting or identifying with one political party primarily because of strong opposition to the other party.

Independents

Voters who do not formally identify as Democrats or Republicans.

Party coalitions

Groups of voters and interests that regularly support the same political party.

Primary election

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

Caucus

A meeting or process in which party supporters participate in selecting candidates or deciding party preferences.

National nominating convention

A major party gathering where delegates formally nominate the party's presidential and vice-presidential candidates and adopt the party platform.

Party platform

A political party's official statement of its positions and policy goals.

Agenda-setting

The ability to influence which issues receive attention from the public and government.

Coordination

The ability of political parties to organize candidates, elected officials, activists, and supporters around common goals.

Accountability

The ability of voters to hold elected officials responsible for their actions and performance in office.

Functions of elections

Elections select leaders, allow citizens to express preferences, provide political accountability, and help determine which policies and parties control government.

Incumbent

A candidate who currently holds the office for which they are seeking reelection.

Challenger

A candidate who is trying to defeat the current officeholder.

Retrospective voting

Voting based on evaluations of how a candidate or party has performed in the past.

General election

The election in which voters choose among candidates from different parties for public office.

House elections

Elections for the U.S. House of Representatives held every two years.

Senate elections

Elections for the U.S. Senate held on a staggered schedule, with roughly one-third of Senate seats up for election every two years.

Eligibility to vote

The legal requirements a person must meet to participate in an election, such as being a U.S. citizen and meeting applicable age and registration requirements.

Plurality voting

A voting system in which the candidate receiving the most votes wins, even without receiving more than 50%.

Majority voting

A voting system in which a candidate must receive more than 50% of the votes to win.

Runoff election

A second election held when no candidate receives the required majority in the first election.

Proportional allocation

A system in which delegates, seats, or other political representation are distributed roughly according to each candidate or party's share of the vote.

Winner-take-all

A system in which the candidate who wins the required vote in a state or district receives all of the available electoral votes or delegates.

Popular vote

The total number of votes cast directly by citizens for presidential candidates.

Electoral College

The system used to formally elect the U.S. president through electoral votes allocated to the states.

Electoral votes

Votes formally cast by members of the Electoral College to select the president and vice president.

Swing state

A state in which support for Democratic and Republican presidential candidates is relatively competitive and can shift between elections.

Battleground state

Another term for a swing state; a state where the major-party candidates compete closely for electoral votes.

Purple state

An informal term for a state where neither major political party consistently dominates statewide elections.

Fundamentals of elections

Broad factors that influence election outcomes, especially party identification and economic conditions.

Party identification and elections

Voters' party identification is one of the strongest factors influencing how they vote.

Economy and elections

Economic conditions can influence voters' evaluations of the party in power and their voting decisions.

Open seat

An election in which no incumbent is running for reelection.

Name recognition

The extent to which voters know or recognize a candidate's name.

GOTV

"Get Out the Vote"; efforts by campaigns and organizations to encourage supporters to vote.

Federal Election Commission (FEC)

The federal agency responsible for administering and enforcing federal campaign-finance laws.

Hard money

Political contributions that are subject to federal campaign-finance limits and regulations.

Soft money

Political money that historically referred to funds raised outside federal contribution limits for certain party activities; federal law has substantially restricted its use in federal elections.

Why people vote

Voting can be influenced by factors such as party identification, candidate preferences, political interest, social influences, perceived importance of the election, and the costs or convenience of voting.

Split-ticket voting

Voting for candidates from different political parties in the same election.

Straight-ticket voting

Voting for candidates from the same political party across multiple offices on the ballot.

Public opinion

The attitudes, beliefs, and preferences that people hold about politics, government, and public policy.

Why public opinion matters

Public opinion can influence elections, government policy, political leaders, and the issues that receive political attention.

Political socialization

The process through which people develop political beliefs, values, and attitudes.

Agents of socialization

People and institutions that influence political beliefs, including family, schools, friends, religion, media, and other social institutions.

Family as an agent of socialization

Families can influence political attitudes by exposing children to political beliefs, values, and behaviors.

School as an agent of socialization

Schools can influence political beliefs through civic education, classroom experiences, and exposure to political ideas.

Mass survey

A research method that asks questions of a sample of people to learn about the attitudes or opinions of a larger population.

Random sample

A sample selected so that members of the population have a known and appropriate chance of being selected, helping researchers generalize results to the larger population.

Problems measuring public opinion

Polls can be affected by sampling errors, wording of questions, nonresponse, timing, inaccurate responses, and differences between the sample and the population.

Ideological polarization

The increasing separation of people or political groups into opposing ideological positions.

Policy mood

The public's general preference for more or less government action and spending across policy areas.

Mass media

Communication channels that reach large audiences, including television, newspapers, radio, websites, and social media.

Linking institution

An institution that connects citizens to government and political leaders by transmitting political information and opinions.

Deregulation

The reduction or removal of government rules and regulations governing an industry.

FCC

Federal Communications Commission; the federal agency that regulates interstate and international communications, including broadcast radio and television.

Broadcast media

Media that distribute information electronically to a broad audience, especially television and radio.

Equal time provision

A federal broadcasting rule requiring stations to provide comparable opportunities to legally qualified political candidates when one candidate is given airtime.

Hostile media effect

The tendency for people with strong political views to perceive neutral or balanced media coverage as biased against their own side.

Media effects

The ways media coverage can influence people's political knowledge, opinions, perceptions, and behavior.

Filtering

The process through which media organizations select which information and events receive coverage.

Media agenda-setting

The media's ability to influence which political issues people view as important by giving some issues more attention than others.

Framing

The way media present or emphasize certain aspects of an issue, influencing how audiences understand and interpret it.

Interest group

An organized group that seeks to influence government policy without primarily trying to win government office.

Citizen groups

Interest groups that organize around causes or issues and claim to represent broader public interests or particular groups of citizens.

Labor unions/organizations

Organizations that represent workers and seek to influence wages, working conditions, benefits, and labor policy.

Business groups

Organizations that represent businesses or industries and seek policies favorable to their economic interests.

Single-issue groups

Interest groups that focus primarily on one specific political issue or policy.

Free riding

Benefiting from a group's efforts without contributing time, money, or other resources to the group.

Selective incentives

Benefits offered specifically to group members to encourage people to join or participate.

Solidary benefits

Benefits people receive from joining a group because of social interaction, friendships, and a sense of belonging.

Purposive benefits

Benefits people receive from participating in a group because they believe in and want to advance the group's cause.

Material benefits

Tangible benefits provided to group members, such as discounts, services, information, or financial advantages.

Revolving door

The movement of people between government jobs and employment in industries or organizations affected by government policy.

Inside strategy

An interest-group strategy that attempts to influence government officials directly from within the political system.

Direct lobbying

Communicating directly with government officials to influence legislation, regulations, or government decisions.

Outside strategy

An interest-group strategy that attempts to influence government indirectly by mobilizing the public, voters, or media.

Grassroots lobbying

Encouraging ordinary citizens to contact government officials or otherwise participate in political activity to influence policy.

Campaigns/electioneering

Efforts by interest groups to influence elections by supporting candidates, mobilizing voters, or communicating about political issues.

PACs

Political Action Committees that collect contributions and use political funds to support or oppose candidates, subject to applicable campaign-finance rules.

Super PACs

Political committees that can raise unlimited amounts from individuals, corporations, unions, and other organizations to make independent expenditures supporting or opposing candidates; they cannot coordinate those expenditures with candidates or campaigns.