AP Gov Unit 5 Key Term Study

Party-Line Voting

A voter votes for all candidates of the voters party regardless of the candidate or party's polices, qualifications of performance.

prospective voting

a voter anticipates the future and considers how candidates or proposed ballot initiatives might affect their lives.

retrospective voting

a voter looks backwards to consider a candidate's track records.

rational choice voting

a voter who has examined an issue or candidate, evaluate campaign promises or platform points, and consciously decided to vote in a way that seems to most benefit the voter

political efficacy

citizens trust in their ability to change the government and belief that they can seem to benefit the voter.

linkage institutions

channels that connect people with the government

critical election

elections that reveal sharp, lasting changes in loyalties to political parties

party realignment

a change in underlying electoral forces due to changes in party idenification

Winner-take-all voting

states award all their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the plurality of the popular vote

Swing States

states that could go to either political party in an election

Issue Networks

groups that come together to support a specific issue and usually do not have a long-term relationship

Iron Triangles

bonds among an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group

free-rider problem

an individual who does not join an interest group but benefits from the gorups influence

Lobbying

applying pressure to influence government not only in washington but also in every state

open primary

allows voters to declare party affiliation on election day

closed primary

voters must declare their party affiliation in advance of an election typically when they register to vote

Electoral College

a group of electors selected by the states to elect the president and vice president

general election

a regular election of candidates for office (mainly affiliated with the presidency)

primary election

voters can indicate their preference for their partys candidate in the upcoming general election or local election

Caucuses

a closed meeting of a group of people of the same political party to nominate their choice for the general election

coattail effect

congressional candidates can often ride the popluarity of their party's presidential candidate

Midterm Effect

all house seats, and one third of senate seats are up for election every two years

Political Action Committees (PACs)

formal group formed around a similar interest, donated heavily to incumbents