U.S. Government Unit 3.3

Party in the Electorate

voters who consider themselves a part of a party or who consistently vote for a party

Party Identifiers

people who present themselves as part of a party publicly

Party Organization

formal structure of active members within a party

Precinct

lowest level of a party organization sorted by neighborhoods

does most of the work during election season

Party in Government

party identifiers who have been elected to hold public office

Party Realignment

shifting in party allegiance within the electorate

voting blocks switch parties

Secular Realignment

gradual shift in the underlying loyalties of voters

generational changes within voting blocks

Critical Election

election representing a clear long term shift in voter allegiances

quick shift caused by a major event

Party System

electoral system in which the number of parties and their power is stable

Political Machines

organizations that secured votes for the party’s candidate or supported the party in other ways

controls votes and government jobs within a party

Personal Politics

building relationships with voters rather than campaigning on issues

popular with the Democratic Party during the Jackson Era, appealing to the common man and using the spoils system

Third Parties

any party formed as an alternative to Democrat or Republican

brings issues to the attention of the two main parties

Plurality Voting

candidate with the most electoral votes wins no matter the popular vote

Proportional Representation

election rule where the number of seats a party is given is a function of the share of the popular vote

works in favor of third parties

Majoritarian Voting

a candidate wins only if they win the popular vote

Spoiler Effect

third party candidates pulling votes from the two main parties that impact the outcome of the election

result of people voting third party based on one major issue

Bipartisanship

cooperation between two members of different parties through compromise

Party Polarization

parties becoming more dissimilar from each other

Divided Government

one or more houses or legislature are controlled by the opposite party than the executive

Sorting

parties becoming more aligned with ideological views over time

Democrats becoming more liberal and Republicans becoming more conservative