Ap gov

attentive public

those who follow politics and public affairs carefully

balancing the ticket

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

caucus

local party meeting

closed primary

party election to choose candidates that is closed to independents, voters may not cross party lines

coattail effect

the influence of a popular presidential candidate on the election of congressional candidates of the same party

demographics

characteristics of populations

direct election

election of an official directly by the people instead of electoral college

direct primary

election in which people choose candidates for office

fixed terms

terms of office that have a definite length of time

front loading

scheduling presidential primary elections early

gender gap

difference in voting patterns for men and women

general election

election in which officers are chosen, contrast with a primary election, in which only the candidates are chosen

hard money

campaign contributions donated directly to candidates

ideology

set of beliefs about political values

incumbet

an office holder who is seeking reelection

independent

one who is not registered with a political party

independent learners tend to vote for candidates of a certain party while pure independents have no pattern

issue advocacy ads

ads that focus on issues and not to encourage people to vote for certain person

open primary

election to choose candidates that is open to independents

party identification

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