ap gov pol vocab ch 11,12,13

public opinion

How people think or feel about particular things.

poll

a survey of public opinion.

random sampling

Method of selecting from a population in which each person has an equal probability of being selected.

exit polls

Polls based on interviews conducted on election day with randomly selected voters.

sampling error

The difference between the results of random samples taken at the same time.

gender gap

Difference in political views between men and women.

impressionable years hypothesis

Argument that political experiences during the teens and early 20s powerfully shape attitudes for the rest of the life cycle.

political socialization

Process by which one’s family influences one’s political views.

question wording

The way in which survey questions are phrased, which influences how respondents answer them.

partisanship

An individual’s identification with a party; whether they consider themselves a Democrat, Republican, or Independent.

party sorting

The alignment of partisanship and issue positions so that Democrats tend to take more liberal positions and Republicans tend to take more conservative ones.

heuristics

Informational shortcuts used by voters to make a decision.

political ideology

A more or less consistent set of beliefs about what policies government ought to pursue.

political elites

Persons with a disproportionate share of political power.

political participation

The many different ways that people take part in politics and government.

voting-age population (VAP)

Citizens who are eligible to vote after reaching the minimum age requirement.

voting-eligible population (VEP)

Citizens who have reached the minimum age to be eligible to vote, excluding those who are not legally permitted to cast a ballot.

voter identification laws

Laws requiring citizens to show a government-issued photo ID in order to vote.

white primary

The practice of keeping Blacks from voting in the southern states’ primaries through arbitrary use of registration requirements and intimidation.

australian ballot

A government-printed ballot of uniform dimensions to be cast in secret that many states adopted around 1890 to reduce voting fraud associated with party-printed ballots cast in public.

literacy test

A requirement that citizens show that they can read before registering to vote.

grandfather clause

A clause in registration laws allowing people who do not meet registration requirements to vote if they or their ancestors had voted before 1867.

activists

People who tend to participate in all forms of politics.

primary elections

An election held to determine the nominee from a particular party.

realignment periods

a period when a major, lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition supporting one or both parties.

political party

A group that seeks to elect candidates to public office.

critical

A period when a major, lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition supporting one or both parties.

closed primary

A primary election where only registered party members may vote for the party’s nominee.

super-delegates

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

open primary

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

national committee

Delegates who run party affairs between national conventions.

national convention

A meeting of party delegates held every four years, which nominates the party’s candidate for president.

invisible primary

Process by which candidates try to attract the support of key party leaders before an election begins

congressional campaign committee

A party committee in Congress that provides funds to members and would-be members.

political machines

A party organization that recruits members by dispensing patronage.

two-party system

An electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in national elections.

national chair

Day-to-day party manager elected by the national committee

plurality system

An electoral system in which the winner is the person who gets the most votes, even if he or she does not receive a majority; used in almost all American elections

partisan identification

A voter’s long-term, stable attachment to one of the political parties.