Chapter 12 Vocab (DC GOV)

Electorate

individuals who are eligible to vote

Mandate

a command, indicated by an electorate's votes, for the elected officials to carry out a party platform or policy agenda

Primary election

election in which voters decide which of the candidates within a party will represent the party in the general election

Closed primary

only a party's registered voters are eligible to cast a ballot

Open primary

party members, independents, and sometimes members of the other party are allowed to participate

Crossover voting

participation in the primary election of a party with which the voter is not affiliated

Runoff primary

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

General election

election in which voters decide which candidates will actually fill elective public offices

Inititative

Procedure by which citizens can propose a law to be placed on a ballot

Referendum

a general vote by the electorate on a single political question that has been referred to them for a direct decision.

Recall

an election in which voters can remove an incumbent from office prior to the next scheduled election

Electoral College

system that chooses the President

Reapportionment

The reallocation of the number of seats in the House of Representatives after each decennial census

Census

population count

Incumbent

already holding office

Presidential coattails

When voters vote for members of the President's party because they like the President

Campaign manager

the individual who travels with the candidate and coordinates the campaign

Finance chair

the individual who coordinates the financial business of the campaign

Communications director

the person who develops the overall media strategy for the candidate

Press secretary

the individual charged with interacting and communicating with journalists on a daily basis

Campaign consultant

a private-sector professional who sells to a candidate the technologies, services, and strategies required to get that candidate elected

Pollster

A campaign consultant who conducts public opinion surveys

Voter canvass

the process by which a campaign reaches individual voters, either by door-to-door solicitation or by telephone

Contrast ad

compares the records and proposals of the candidates, with a bias to ward the candidate sponsoring the ad

Inoculation ad

advertising that attempts to counteract an anticipated attack from the opposition before the attack is launched

FEC

an independent regulatory agency whose purpose is to enforce campaign finance law in United States federal elections

Citizens United vs FEC

Ruled that individuals/groups/businesses, etc. can give an unlimited amount of money toward political campaign [attack] ads with anonymity; ads do not have to disclose/announce who funded it

PAC

officially recognized fund-raising organizations that represent interest groups and are allowed by federal law to make contributions directly to candidates' campaigns

Super PAC

PAC established to make independent expenditures

Turnout

proportion or the voting-age public that casts a ballot

Retrospective judgment

a voter's evaluation of a candidate based on past performance on a particular issue

Prospective judgement

a voter's evaluation of a candidate based on what he or she pledges to do about an issue if elected

Front-loading

the tendency of states to choose an early date on the nomination calendar