Comprehensive US Elections, Political Parties, and Interest Groups

Election

An organized process in which citizens vote to choose public officials or decide on policies.

Voter Registration

The process by which eligible citizens sign up to be able to vote in elections.

Voter Turnout

The percentage of eligible voters who actually cast a ballot in an election.

Vote Switching

When a voter changes their party preference or candidate choice from one election to another.

Chronic Minority

Groups of people who consistently have low voter turnout or political participation over time.

Early Voting

Voting that takes place before the official Election Day to increase accessibility and turnout.

Voter Fatigue

A decline in voter participation due to frequent elections or long ballots causing exhaustion or disinterest.

Voting-Age Population

All residents of legal voting age (18+) regardless of eligibility to vote.

Voting-Eligible Population (VEP)

The subset of the voting-age population that is legally allowed to vote (excludes non-citizens, felons in some states, etc.).

War Chests

Funds accumulated by candidates or political parties to finance their campaigns.

Elector

A member of the Electoral College who formally casts a vote for president and vice president.

Electoral College

A body of electors from each state who formally elect the U.S. president based on state popular vote outcomes.

Winner-take-all System

An electoral system where the candidate with the most votes in a state wins all of that state's electoral votes.

Proportional Representation

An electoral system in which parties gain seats or votes in proportion to the number of votes they receive.

Plurality Rule

A system where the candidate with the most votes wins, even if they do not have a majority.

Primary Election

An election to select a political party's candidate for the general election.

Open Primary

Voters can choose which party's primary to vote in regardless of party affiliation.

Closed Primary

Only registered party members can vote in their party's primary.

Caucus

A local gathering of party members who discuss and vote on candidates to choose delegates for the national convention.

General Election

The main election where voters choose among party nominees and others for public office.

Mid-term Election

Elections held midway through a president's term, often for Congress and local offices.

Faithless Elector

An elector who votes for someone other than the candidate they pledged to support in the Electoral College.

Direct Democracy

A form of government where citizens vote directly on laws and policies rather than electing representatives.

Initiative / Proposition

Processes that allow citizens to propose new laws or amendments and vote on them directly.

Recall

A procedure allowing voters to remove an elected official from office before their term ends.

Referendum

A process where laws passed by the legislature are submitted to voters for approval or rejection.

Swing Voter

A voter who does not have a strong party allegiance and can be persuaded to vote for different parties in different elections.

Purple State

A state that is politically competitive, with roughly equal support for Democratic (blue) and Republican (red) candidates.

Red State

A state that predominantly supports Republican candidates.

Blue State

A state that predominantly supports Democratic candidates.

Campaign

An organized effort by candidates and parties to win elections through outreach, advertising, and voter mobilization.

Incumbent

A current officeholder running for re-election.

Platform

A set of principles and policies a political party or candidate supports.

Ticket

The combined group of candidates a party nominates for president and vice president.

Ballot Fatigue

Voter exhaustion leading to fewer selections made further down a long ballot.

Incumbency Advantage

The benefits sitting officeholders have in elections, such as name recognition and easier fundraising.

Shadow Campaign

Informal, often secretive campaign efforts outside official campaign organizations.

Straight-Ticket Voting

Voting for all candidates from one political party on a ballot.

Political Action Committees (PACs)

Organizations that raise and spend money to influence elections and legislation on behalf of candidates or causes.

Requirements to vote in the United States

Must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old by Election Day, meet state residency requirements, and not be disqualified due to felony convictions (varies by state) or mental incapacitation (varies by state).

Allowed to Register

U.S. citizens who meet age and residency requirements, and who are not disqualified (e.g., some felons).

Most Likely to Vote

Older adults, people with higher education, higher income, and long-term residents.

Least Likely to Vote

Young people, minorities, low-income individuals, and those with less education.

Factors Affecting Voter Turnout

Factors include: age, education, income, voter registration laws, voter enthusiasm, competitiveness of the election, weather, ease of voting (early voting, mail-in ballots), and legal barriers (ID requirements).

State and Local Governments

Run elections in the US. They set rules for registration, voting procedures, and ballot counting.

Voting Rights Act (1965)

Prohibited racial discrimination in voting, outlawed literacy tests and other barriers.

Effect of Voting Rights Act

Dramatically increased voter registration and turnout among African Americans in the South.

National Voter Registration Act (1993)

Required states to offer voter registration when citizens apply for or renew driver's licenses.

Effect of National Voter Registration Act

Made registration easier.

Shelby v. Holder (2013)

Supreme Court invalidated the formula that required certain states with histories of discrimination to get federal approval before changing voting laws.

Effect of Shelby v. Holder

Allowed some states to implement stricter voting laws, which critics argue suppressed minority voting.

Strategies to Make Registration Easier

Online registration, automatic voter registration, same-day registration, early voting, mail-in ballots.

Strategies to Make Registration More Difficult

Strict voter ID laws, limited registration periods, purging voter rolls, reducing early voting days.

Impact of Requiring a Photo ID for Voting

Research is mixed but generally finds that photo ID laws may reduce turnout slightly, especially among minorities, elderly, and low-income voters.

US Voter Turnout Rate Comparison

US turnout is lower than many other democracies (especially compared to Europe).

Voter registration barriers

Obstacles that prevent individuals from registering to vote.

Voluntary voting

Voting that is not compulsory.

Election frequency

The regularity with which elections are held.

Electoral College system complexity

The intricate process by which the United States elects its president.

Primary elections and caucuses

Processes through which candidates run to win delegates for party nomination.

National party conventions

Events where delegates officially nominate their party's candidate for president.

Majority of electoral votes

Winning 270 out of 538 electoral votes to secure the presidency.

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

A decision that allowed unlimited independent political spending by corporations and unions.

Political campaigns

Organized efforts by candidates to win elections through outreach and advertising.

Democratic and Republican national conventions

Events where delegates vote to nominate the party's presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

Party platform

A document that outlines a party's principles and policies, adopted at national conventions.

Ways parties reach voters

Methods such as advertising, canvassing, phone calls, social media, rallies, and debates.

Electors in the Electoral College

Individuals chosen by political parties in each state who cast votes for president.

Impact of winner-take-all system

It can result in a candidate winning the presidency without winning the national popular vote.

Electoral College electors voting

Electors meet in their state capitals in December after the general election to cast their votes.

Coattail effect

When a popular candidate helps others from the same party win down-ballot races.

2016 US Presidential election results

Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, but Donald Trump won the Electoral College and became President.

Red states

States that generally vote Republican, such as Texas, Alabama, and Oklahoma.

Blue states

States that generally vote Democrat, such as California, New York, and Massachusetts.

Purple states

Swing states that can vote for either party, such as Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

Voter decision-making

Many voters are undecided early in a campaign and may decide late due to events or new information.

Undecided Voters

Voters who have not made a firm decision about which candidate to support.

Nominating Convention

An event where delegates officially select their party's presidential candidate, adopt the party platform, and unify the party.

Swing States

States where neither major party has overwhelming support, making them key battlegrounds in elections.

Retrospective Voting

Voting based on the incumbent's past performance.

Initiative/Proposition

A type of direct democracy where voters propose laws.

Political Party

An organized group of people with shared political goals who seek to gain and maintain political power by winning elections.

GOP

The Grand Old Party, a common nickname for the Republican Party in the United States.

Primary

An election held to select a political party's candidate for a later general election.

Minority Party

The political party in a legislative body that holds fewer seats than the majority party.

Majority Party

The political party in a legislative body that holds the most seats and typically controls the agenda.

Electorate

All the people eligible to vote in an election.

One-Party System

A political system where only one party exists or dominates, and no other parties have a real chance of winning.

Two-Party System

A political system dominated by two major parties that control most elections and governance.

Multi-Party System

A system where multiple political parties have the capacity to gain control of government offices, separately or in coalition.

Third Party

A political party other than the two major parties, often representing specific interests or ideas.

Party Ticket

A single election choice that fills more than one political office, like a presidential and vice-presidential candidate running together.

Campaign Strategy

The overall plan a candidate or party uses to win an election, including targeting voters, messaging, and resource allocation.

Realignment

A significant and lasting shift in the political landscape, often changing which groups support which parties.

Dealignment

A trend where voters move away from strong party identification, becoming more independent or less politically involved.

Tipping

When a minority group grows large enough in a state or region to change its political character, potentially shifting it from one party to another.

Factions

Political parties as referred to by the Founding Fathers, who feared they could divide the nation and lead to conflict.

Functions of Political Parties

Recruit and nominate candidates for public office, organize and run elections, simplify choices for voters, mobilize and educate voters, coordinate policy making, and provide accountability.

Proportional Representation System

An electoral system that reflects voter preferences more accurately, encourages multiple parties, but can lead to fragmented legislatures.

Party Identification Trends by Age

Younger voters tend to lean more Democratic or independent, while older voters tend to lean more Republican.