AP Government Unit 4

National Convention

occasion at which a political party officially announces its presidential nominee and reveals its party platform for the next four years (today nominees have been pre-determined by primary election results)

nomination

endorsement to run for office by a political party

political socialization

process by which one acquires his/her political beliefs

plurality

officials who receive the greatest number of votes in a primary, but not more than one-half of the votes cast

primary election

form of election held by the majority of the states, during which voters select the nominees for political parties

political party

group of people with common political goals which hope to influence policy through the election process

single-issue parties

are third parties that promote one principle. The American Independent Party sponsored segregation

policy fragmentation

when legislation deals with part of policy problems but never deals with the entire problem

policy implementation

The process by which executive departments and agencies put legislation into practice, they are often allowed a degree of freedom to interpret legislation as they write guidelines to enact and enforce the law

coalition

a combo of groups of people who work together to achieve a political goal

dealignment

a recent trend in which voters act increasingly independent of a party affiliation, a consequence of this is split-ticket voting which leads to a divided government

divided government

a government in which the presidency is controlled by one party and Congress is controlled by the other

straw poll

asking the same question to a large number of people: often unscientific

soft money

political donations made to parties for the purpose of general party maintenance and support, such as get-out-the-vote campaigns, issue advocacy, and advertisements that promote the party (but not individual candidates. soft money contributions were banned in 2002 by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)

political action committee (PAC)

the fundraising apparatus of interest groups, donations and contributions from PACs are regulated by federal law

spin doctors

a person whose job it is to make bad news favorable to the public

electorate

people qualified to vote

midterm elections

general elections for federal offices that are not presidential

gender gap

difference in voting patterns for men and women: particularly in the greater tendency of the latter to vote for Democratic presidential candidates

interest group

political group organized around a particular political goal or philosophy, they attempt to influence public policy though political action and donations to sympathetic candidates

iron triangle

also called sub-government they are formed by the close working relationship among various interest groups, congressional committees, and executive agencies that enforce federal regulations (these groups can collectively exert a powerful influence over legislation and law enforcement)

issue networks

(aka alliance networks) coalition of interest groups, members of Congress, and bureaucrats working closely together

Australian ballot

a secret ballot

Balancing the ticket

occurs when a presidential nominee chooses a vice presidential running mate who has different qualities in order to attract more votes

direct elections

election of an official directly by the people rather than by an intermediary group such as the Electoral College

general election

election held on the first Tuesday of November, during which voters elect officials

front-loading

a strategy in which states have pushed forward the date of their primary elections

Federal Election Campaign Acts (1971-1974)

created the Federal Election Commission; requires disclosure of contributions and expenditures; provided presidential candidates with matching funds

"first in the nation"

Iowa is the first caucus and New Hampshire is the first primary

501(c)(4)

a social welfare organization. Net earnings must be used for the common good such as charity or education. Can support or oppose a candidate so long as it is not the primary purpose of the organization.

527

Named after a part of tax code, refers to a non-profit organization which is not limited by campaign finance laws because they advocate for a principle not a person or party

lobbying

attempting to influence policy makers

dark horse

candidate running for office who is considered the underdog

closed primary

primary election in which voting is restricted to registered members of a political party

recall election

process through which voters can shorten an office holder's term, one of several Progressive Era reforms that increased voters' power over government

referendum

process through which voters may vote on new laws, one of several Progressive Era reforms that increased voters' power over government

blanket primary

primary election in which voters may select a candidate from any party for each office

runoff primary

election held between top two vote-getters in a primary election, when neither received a legally required minimum percentage of the vote, many states require a runoff when no candidate receives at least 40 percent of the primary vote for his or her party

open primary

primary election in which voters may vote in whichever party primary they choose, though they must select that part before entering the voting booth

at-large

members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a group or association

census

the process, mandated by the Constitution, by which the population of the U.S. is officially counted every 10 years, data is then used to help distribute federal money and to reapportion congressional districts

Grassroots campaigning

is an effort from the ground up and involves writing, phoning, or e-mailing legislators

swing state

a state which has no overwhelming support for a particular candidate

Watergate

hotel in Washington D.C. where Nixon's spies were caught breaking into the Democratic National Headquarters

identification

a sense of affiliation that a person has with a particular party

litmus test

an indicative measure, ie. Measure public support for a person or idea

mandate

level of support for an elected official as perceived through election results

reapportionment

the process by which congressional districts are redrawn and seats are redistributed among states in the House, occurs every 10 years, when census data reports shifts in the population of districts

split-ticket voting

choosing candidates from different parties for offices listed on the same ballot

sampling error

margin of error in public opinion poll, most are accurate within a margin of +/- 4 percent

realignment

occurs when a party undergoes a major shift in its electoral base and political agenda, the groups of people composing the party coalition may split up, resulting in a vastly different party. Realignments are rare and tend to be signaled by a critical election, last one occurred during the New Deal between the working-class and ethnic groups under the Democratic party

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

Race can't be the sole or predominant factor in redrawing districts [Also, Miller v. Johnson (1995)]

spoils system

the political practice of trading government jobs and preferences for political and financial support, Andrew Jackson was the first to be widely accused of using this to reward political friends and supporters

alliance network

also known as an issue network

Near v. Minnesota (1931)

By ruling that a state law violated the freedom of the press and rejecting prior restraint the Court incorporated the free press provision of the First Amendment