AP Government: Campaigns, Elections, Voting & Parties

Incumbent

currently holding an office

Coattails

the alleged tendency of candidates to win more votes in an election because of the presence at the top of the ticket of a better-known candidate, such as the president

Political Action Committee (PAC)

A committee set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations

Federal Matching Funds

public funding of presidential campaigns that is provided for by the Federal Election Campaign Act. Presidential candidates can become eligible for public funds by raising $5,000 in individual contributions of $250 or less in each of twenty states. Candidates who reach this threshold may apply for federal funds to match, on a dollar-for-dollar basis, all individual contributions of $250 or less that they receive. Third-party candidates are eligible for public funding only if they received at least 5 percent of the vote in the previous presidential race.

Iowa Caucus

First state to hold a caucus or primary, therefore giving Iowa much attention during the campaign season.

Primary

a preliminary election where delegates or nominees are chosen

Front-Loaded Campaign

campaigning heavily in the early primaries (usually if the candidate is relatively unknown)

Clothespin Vote

the vote cast by a person who does not like either candidate and so votes for the less objectionable of the two, putting a clothespin over his nose to keep out the unpleasant stench

Position Issue

an issue about which the public is divided and rival candidates or political parties adopt different policy positions

Valence Issue

an issue about which the public is united and rival candidates or political parties adopt similar positions in hopes that each will be thought to best represent those widely shared beliefs

General Election

a national or state election

Open Primary

a primary in which any registered voter can vote (but must vote for candidates of only one party)

Closed Primary

Primary election in which only persons registered in the party holding the primary may vote.

Blanket Primary

Registered voters may vote for candidates from either party on the same primary ballot

Runoff Primary

a second primary election held when no candidate wins a majority of the votes in the first primary

Smith v. Allwright (1944)

A supreme court case in 1944 that ruled that it was unconstitutional to deny membership in political parties to African Americans as a way of excluding them from voting in primaries.

Whistle-Stop Train Tours

a style of political campaigning where the politician makes a series of brief appearances or speeches at a number of small towns over a short period of time

White Primary

the practice of keeping blacks from voting in the southern states' primaries through arbitrary use of registration requirements and intimidation

Campaign Spots

short TV ads for candidates

Federal Election Campaign Act (1974)

A law passed for reforming campaign finance that created the FEC, provided public financing for primaries and general elections, limited presidential campaign spending, required disclosure, and attempted to limit contributions.

Federal Election Commission (FEC)

A commission created by the 1974 amendments to the Federal Election Campaign Act to administer election reform laws. It consists of six commissioners appointed by president and confirmed by the Senate. Its duties include overseeing disclosure of campaign finance information and public funding of presidential elections, and enforcing contribution limits.

Buckley v. Valeo (1976)

1st Amendment protects campaign spending; legislatures can limit contributions, but not how much one spends of his own money on campaigns.

Soft Money

Money raised in unlimited amounts by political parties for party-building purposes. Now largely illegal except for limited contributions to state or local parties for voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts.

Hard Money

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

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (2002)

Banned soft money contributions to national political parties from corporations and unions; independent expenditures by corporations, labor unions, trade associations, and nonprofit organizations are sharply restricted.

527's

created to influence the nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates for public office - permitted to accept contributions in any amount from any source. No Limits. Tax-exempted

Prospective Voting

Voting based on what a candidate pledges to do in the future about an issue if elected.

Retrospective Voting

Holding incumbents, usually the president's party, responsible for their records on issues, such as the economy or foreign policy.

Critical/Realigning Election

Elections in which there are sharp changes in issues, party leaders, the regional and demographic basis of power of the two parties, structures or rules of election (like voter age/restrictions) resulting in a new political power structure. 60s & 70s vs.80's & 90's

Split Ticket Voting

Casting votes for candidates of one's own party and for candidates of opposing parties, e.g., voting for a Republican presidential candidate and a Democratic congressional candidate.

Straight Ticket Voting

Voting for candidates all of the same party on the same ballot-creates the coattail effect

"Front-Loading" Nomination Process

campaigning heavily in the early primaries

"Winner-Take-All" Primaries

the candidate who won the support of all delegates chosen at the primary

Super Tuesday

Day when several states hold their presidential primaries (usually the second Tuesday in March)

Bush v. Gore (2000)

The court ruled that manual recounts of presidential ballots in the Nov. 2000 election could not proceed because inconsistent evaluation standards in different counties violated the equal protection clause, 14th Amendment. In effect, the ruling meant Bush would win the election.

Opposition Research

Attempts by a candidate's campaign or other groups of supporters to uncover embarrassing or politically damaging information about the candidate's opponent.

McConnell v. FEC (2003)

Upheld the constitutionality of most of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, but exempted non-profits that didn't coordinate with campaigns

Continuous Body

governing unit (e.g. the United States Senate) whose seats are never all up for election at the same time

Influence Peddling

using personal friendships and inside information to get political advantage

Plurality Election

the winning candidate is the person who recieves more votes than anyone else, but less than half the total.

Election of 1800

Jefferson and Burr each received 73 votes in the Electoral College, so the House of Representatives had to decide the outcome. The House chose Jefferson as President and Burr as Vice President.

Election of 1876

Race for the presidency between Republican Rutherford B Hayes and Democrat Samuel J Tilden. The decision of the winner came down to congress but no one knew which house should vote because the Senate was Republican and the House of Reps was Democratic. Congress created a Special Electoral Commission consisting of 5 senators, 5 House Reps, and 5 justices from the Supreme court. Votes went 8-7 in favor of Hayes.

Election of 1824

John Quincy Adams won after Henry Clay gave his support to Adams, securing his Presidency. When Adams appointed Clay as his secretary of state, Jackson's supporters raged that a "corrupt bargain" had cheated Jackson of presidency.

Election of 2000

Bush v. Gore; Bush won although Gore won popular vote; controversy over the final vote count in Florida; settled by Supreme Court decision in favor of Bush.

Ralph Nader

A leftist American politician who promotes the environment, fair consumerism, and social welfare programs. His book Unsafe at Any Speed brought attention to the lack of safety in American automobiles.

interest group

An organization of people sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy

primary election

an election held to choose candidates for office, this weakened the power of political parties

Initiative

process that permits voters to put legislative measures directly on the ballot

Referendum

a legislative act is referred for final approval to a popular vote by the electorate

recall

procedure whereby voters can remove an elected official from office

incumbent

the current officeholder

incumbent advantage

spend more money, name recognition, credit claiming, relationships with constituents

Centrists

a person who holds moderate political views

open primary

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

blanket primary

a primary election in which each voter may vote for candidates from both parties

closed primary

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

linkage institutions

The channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda. In the United States, linkage institutions include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.

coalition

a group of individuals with a common interest on which every political party depends

single-member district

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

Super delegates

party leaders and elected officials who become delegates to the national convention without having to run in primaries or caucuses

Super PACs

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.

State Party Organization

Links local level to national level. State committee (still mostly volunteer but might have an office, some paid positions). Major jobs are (1) to hold primary elections to select candidates; (2) to support state level candidates in general elections; and (3) to influence platform of National Party.

party realignment

The displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period.

political gridlock

the stalemate that occurs when political rivals, especially parties, refuse to budge from their positions to achieve a compromise in the public interest

Big tent principle

A strategy in which a political party seeks to build a broad coalition among individuals with wide-ranging beliefs, backgrounds, and priorities.

National Convention

The meeting of party delegates every four years to choose a presidential ticket and write the party's platform.

McCain-Feingold Act (2002)

(BCRA) Banned soft money, increased amount of individual contributions and limited issue ads.

Libertarian Party

A minor party that believes in extremely limited government. Libertarians call for a free market system, expanded individual liberties such as drug legalization, and a foreign policy of nonintervention, free trade, and open immigration.

Green Party

A minor party dedicated to the environment, social justice, nonviolence, and the foreign policy of nonintervention. Ralph Nader ran as the Green party's nominee in 2000.

political machine

A party organization that recruits voter loyalty with tangible incentives and is characterized by a high degree of control over member activity. (Tammany Hall)

ticket splitting

Voting with one party for one office and with another party for other offices. It has become the norm in American voting behavior.

Advantage of a two party system

Both have had equal strength, proportional representation

realigning election

An election during periods of expanded suffrage and change in the economy and society that proves to be a turning point, redefining the agenda of politics and the alignment of voters within parties.

Dealigning election

Party loyality becomes less important to voters, & they vote for the other party candidate/independent

runoff primary

A second primary election held when no candidate wins a majority of the votes in the first primary

Buckley v. Valeo

A case in which the Supreme Court of the United States upheld federal limits on campaign contributions and ruled that spending money to influence elections is a form of constitutionally protected free speech. The court also stated candidates can give unlimited amounts of money to their own campaigns.

Citizens United v. FEC

A 2010 decision by the United States Supreme Court holding that independent expenditures are free speech protected by the 1st Amendment and so cannot be limited by federal law. Leads to creation of SuperPACs & massive rise in amount of third party electioneering (Citizens for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow)

Motor Voter Law

register to vote when you update your license (1993)