Political Science Vocabulary Flashcards

Flashcards for key terms in political science.

Amicus curiae briefs

Legal documents filed in court cases by individuals or groups not directly involved in the litigation but with an interest in the outcome.

Benchmark polls

Initial polls conducted to establish a baseline level of support for a candidate or issue.

Caucus

A meeting of party members to select candidates and/or delegates.

Closed primaries

Primary elections in which only registered party members can vote.

Coattail effect

The tendency for a popular political party leader to attract votes for other candidates of the same party in an election.

Conservative ideology

A political ideology generally characterized by a belief in personal responsibility, limited government, free markets, individual liberty, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.

Core Values

Fundamental beliefs about what is important that guide individuals' behavior.

Rule of law

The principle that all people and institutions are subject to and accountable to law that is fairly applied and enforced.

Equality of opportunity

The idea that everyone has an equal chance to succeed in life.

Individualism

The belief in the importance of the individual and the virtue of self-reliance and personal independence.

Free enterprise

An economic system in which private business operates in competition and largely free of state control.

Limited government

A political system in which legalized force is restricted through delegated and enumerated authorities.

Critical elections

Elections that mark a significant shift in the political alignment of voters.

Dealignment

A trend or process whereby a large portion of the electorate abandons its previous partisan affiliation, without developing a new one to replace it.

Democrat Party (DEM)

One of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States.

Divided government

A situation in which one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress.

Electorate

All the people in a country or area who are entitled to vote in an election.

Exit polls

Polls conducted as voters leave polling places on Election Day.

Faithless elector

An elector who does not vote for the candidate they pledged to support.

"Free rider" problem

The burden on a shared resource that is created by its use or overuse by people who aren't paying their fair share for it or aren't paying anything at all.

Fixed terms

An elected office with a set length of time between elections.

Focus group

A small group of individuals assembled for a conversation about specific issues.

Front-loading

The tendency of states to hold primaries early in the election season in order to have more influence in the nomination process.

Gatekeeper

Individuals or groups that control access to something or filter information.

Hard money

Political donations that are regulated by law through the Federal Election Commission.

Horserace journalism

Political journalism of elections that resembles coverage of horse races because of the focus on polling data, public perception instead of substantive issues.

Incumbency advantage

The electoral edge afforded to those already in office.

Incumbent

The current officeholder.

Initiative

A process that allows citizens to bypass their state legislature by placing proposed statutes and, in some states, constitutional amendments on the ballot.

Iron triangle

The relatively ironclad relationships and patterns of interaction that occur among agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees.

Issue ads

Communications intended to bring a problem to light.

Liberal ideology

A political ideology that emphasizes the civil rights and freedoms of the individual and the role of government in ameliorating social problems.

Libertarian ideology

A political ideology that cherishes individual liberty and insists on minimal government, promoting a free market economy, a noninterventionist foreign policy, and an absence of regulation in moral, economic, and social life.

Linkage institutions

The channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda.

Litigation

The process of taking legal action.

Lobbying

Engaging in activities aimed at influencing public officials, especially legislators, and the policies they enact.

Mass survey

A poll in which the sample includes a large number of respondents to capture views from across a population.

Open primaries

Primary elections in which any registered voter, regardless of party affiliation, can vote.

Party platforms

A political party's statement of its goals and policies for the next four years.

Party-line voting

Casting votes for only candidates of one's own party.

Patronage

The practice of granting favors, giving contracts, or making appointments to office in return for political support.

Pluralism

A theory of government that holds that open, multiple, and competing groups can check the power of any one group.

Plurality

The number of votes cast for a candidate who receives more than any other but does not receive an absolute majority.

Political Action Committees (PACS)

Organizations that raise money privately to influence elections or legislation, especially at the federal level.

Political efficacy

The belief that one's political participation really matters - that one's vote can actually make a difference.

Political socialization

The process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinions.

Proportional voting system

An electoral system in which parties gain seats in proportion to the number of votes cast for them.

Prospective voting

Voting based on what a candidate pledges to do in the future about an issue if elected.

Push polls

A polling technique in which the point is to spread negative information about a candidate.

Random sample

A sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion.

Rational-choice voting

Voting based on what is perceived to be in the citizen's individual self-interest.

Realignment

A process in which a substantial group of voters switches party allegiance, producing a long-term alteration in the political landscape.

Referendum

A state-level method of direct legislation that gives voters a chance to approve or disapprove proposed legislation or a proposed constitutional amendment.

Republican Party (GOP)

One of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States.

Retrospective voting

Voting based on past performance of a candidate.

Revolving door

The movement of high-level employees from public sector jobs to private sector jobs and vice versa.

Safe seat

A legislative seat that is likely to be retained with a large majority in an election.

Scorekeeper

The role the press plays by keeping track of and helping make political reputations, note who is being mentioned as a presidential candidate, and help decide who is winning and losing in Washington politics.

Single-member district

An electoral district that returns one officeholder to a body with multiple members such as a legislature.

Soft money

Money raised by political parties for party-building purposes.

Sound bite

A short extract from a recorded interview or speech, chosen for its pungency or appropriateness.

Suffrage

The right to vote.

Swing state

A state that does not consistently vote either Democratic or Republican in presidential elections.

Tracking polls

A poll repeated continuously with different cohorts of voters to check shifts in support or opposition for a candidate.

Watchdog

The role played by the national media in investigating political personalities and exposing scandals.

Winner-take-all voting system

An election system in which the candidate who receives the most votes wins.