voting and media

Political party

An organization that seeks political power by electing people to office so that its positions and philosophy become public policy.

Nonpartisan election

A local or judicial election in which candidates are not selected or endorsed by political parties and party affiliation is not listed on ballots.

Patronage

The dispensing of government jobs to persons who belong to the winning political party.

Honeymoon

Period at the beginning of the new president's term during which the president enjoys generally positive relations with the press and Congress, usually lasting about six months.

Caucus

A meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform.

Party convention

A meeting of party delegates to vote on matters of policy and in some cases to select party candidates for public office.

Direct primary

Election in which voters choose party nominees.

Open primary

Primary election in which any voter, regardless of party, may vote.

Crossover voting

Voting by member of one party for a candidate of another party.

Closed primary

Primary election in which only persons registered in the party holding the primary may vote.

Minor party

A small political party that rises and falls with a charismatic candidate or, if composed of ideologies on the right or left, usually persists over time; also called a third party.

Proportional representation

An election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote.

Winner take all system

Election system in which the candidate with the most votes wins.

Realigning election

An election during periods of expanded suffrage and change in the economy and society that proves to be a turning point, redefining the agenda of politics and the alignment of voters within parties.

Divided government

Governance divided between the parties, as when one holds the presidency and the other controls one or both houses of Congress.

National party convention

A national meeting of delegates elected in primaries, caucuses, or state conventions who assemble once every four years to nominate candidates for president and vice president, ratify the party platform, elect officers, and adopt rules.

Platform

A document stating the policy positions of the party. Details general party wide issue stances.

Party registration

The act of declaring party affiliation; required by some states when one registers to vote.

Party identification

An affiliation with a political party that most people acquire in childhood. The best predictor of voting behavior in partisan candidate elections.

Dealignment

Weakening of partisan preferences that point to a rejection of both major parties and a rise in the number of independents.

Linkage institutions

Institutions (elections, interest groups, political parties, mass media) that connect the citizens of America to the policy making institutions (Congress, president, courts, bureaucracy).

Interest group

A collection of people who share a common interest or attitude and seek to influence government for specific ends. Interest groups usually work within the framework of government and try to achieve their goals through tactics such as lobbying.

Faction

A term the founders used to refer to political parties and special interests or interest groups.

Free rider

An individual who does not to join a group representing his or her interests yet receives the benefit of the group's influence.

Pluralism

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

Federalist \#10

Paper that stated one of the strongest arguments in favor of the Constitution is the fact that it establishes a government capable of controlling the violence and damage caused by factions.

amicus curiae brief

Literally, a "friend of the court" brief, filed by an individual or organization to present arguments in addition to those presented by the immediate parties to a case.

Iron Triangle

Alliances among bureaucrats, interest groups, and congressional subcommittee members sometimes form to promote their common causes.

Super PACs

Independent expenditure only PACs are known as Super PACs because they may accept donations of any size and can endorse candidates. Their contributions and expenditures must be periodically reported to the FEC.

Bundling

A tactic in which PACs collect contributions from like minded individuals (each limited to $2000) and present them to a candidate or political party as a "bundle," thus increasing the PAC's influence.

Issue network

Network that consists of people in interest groups, on congressional staffs, in bureaucratic agencies, in universities, and in the mass media who regularly debate an issue.

Political action committee (PAC)

The political arm of an interest group that is legally entitled to raise funds on a voluntary basis from members, stockholders, or employees to contribute funds to candidates or political parties.

Lobbyist

A person who is employed by and acts for an organized interest group or corporation to try to influence policy decisions and positions in the executive and legislative branches.

Lobbying

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

Revolving door

Employment cycle in which individuals who work for governmental agencies that regulate interests eventually end up working for interest groups or businesses with the same policy concern.

Hard money

Political contributions given to a party, candidate, or interest group that are limited in amounts and fully disclosed. Raising such limited funds is harder than raising unlimited funds.

Soft money

Money raised in unlimited amounts by political parties for party

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) of 2002

Effort to ban soft money and reduce attack ads with "Stand by Your Ad" provision: "I'm [candidate name] and I approve this message." Largely banned party soft money, and restored a long standing prohibition on corporations and labor unions for using general treasury funds for electoral purposes (which has since been overturned by Citizens United).

Independent expenditures

The Supreme Court has ruled that individuals, groups, and parties can spend unlimited amounts in campaigns for or against candidates as long as they operate independently from the candidates. When an individual, group, or party does so, they are making an independent expenditure.

Issue advocacy

Unlimited and undisclosed spending by an individual or group on communications that do not use words like "vote for" or "vote against," although much of this activity is actually about electing or defeating candidates.

501(c)

Nonprofit groups that are exempted from reporting their contributions and can receive unlimited contributions. Section 501(c) of the tax code specifies that such groups cannot spend more than half their funds on political activities.

Dark money

Refers to political spending meant to influence the decision of a voter, where the donor is not disclosed and the source of the money is unknown. Depending upon the circumstances, Dark Money can refer to funds spent by a political nonprofit or a super PAC.

Policy Agenda

The set of issues to which government officials, voters, and the public are paying attention.

Collective Action

Political action that occurs when individuals contribute their energy, time, or money to a larger group goal.

Mass media

Means of communication that are reaching the public, including newspapers and magazines, radio, television (broadcast, cable, and satellite), films, recordings, books, and electronic communication.

News media

A broad term that includes newspapers, magazines, radio, television, internet sources, blogs, and social

24/7 news cycle

News is now constantly updated and presented via Internet sites like the New York Times or Wall Street Journal and cable news sources like CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC.

Broadcast media

Outlets for news and other content including radio and television that bring stories directly into people's homes.

Selective exposure

The process by which individuals screen out messages that do not conform to their own biases.

Selected perception

The process by which individuals perceive what they want to in media messages.

Horse race

A close contest; by extension, any contest in which the focus is on who is ahead and by how much rather than on substantive differences between the candidates.

Agenda setting

The media's ability to highlight certain issues and bring them to the attention of the public.

Wire service

An organization that gathers and reports on news then sells the stories to other outlets.

Investigative journalism

An approach to newsgathering in which reporters dig into stories, often looking for instances of wrongdoing.

Media consolidation

The concentration of ownership of the media into fewer corporations.

Partisan bias

The slanting of political news coverage in support of a particular political party or ideology.

Horse race journalism

Coverage of political campaigns that focuses more on the drama of the campaign than on policy issues.

Incumbent

An officeholder who is seeking reelection.

split ticket voting

the practice of voting for the candidates of more than one party in an election

straight ticket voting

practice of voting for candidates of only one party in an election

office group ballot

one that lists the candidates together by the office for which they are running

party column ballot

a ballot listing all candidates of a given party together under the name of that party

free rider problem

the problem faced by interest groups when citizens can reap the benefits of interest group action without actually joining the groups.

Iron triangles

an interest group, a legislative committee, and a federal agency (bureaucracy)

issue network

Relationships among interest groups, congressional committees, government agencies, the media, and think tanks that share a common policy concern.

grassroots lobbying

indirect lobbying efforts that spring from widespread public concern

revolving door

the tendency of elected leaders and lobbyists to move between public and private sector jobs

social movements

A large group of people who are organized to promote or resist some social change

solidary incentives

the social rewards that lead people to join political organizations

Purposive incentives

the appeal of a stated goal

material incentives

Benefits that have a monetary value, including gifts, services, or discounts received as a result of one's membership in an organization. incumbent advantage

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act

Largely banned party soft money, restored a long standing prohibition on corporations and labor unions for using funds for electoral purposes, and narrowed the definition of issue advocacy.

First Amendment

5 freedoms: speech, press, religion, assembly, petition

open primary

A primary election in which voters may choose in which party to vote as they enter the polling place

closed primary

A primary in which only registered members of a particular political party can vote

partisan

Devoted to or biased in support of a party, group, or cause

Electoral College

a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president.

Single Member Districts

electoral district from which one person is chosen by the voters for each elected office

proportional representation

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

nominating convention

An official public meeting of a party to choose candidates for office

horse race journalism

news coverage that focuses on who is ahead rather than on the issues

Political Action Committee (PAC)

A committee set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations

winner take all system

an election system in which the candidate with the most votes wins

Plurality

Candidate or party with the most votes cast in an election, not necessarily more than half.

majority

The candidate or party that wins more than half the votes cast in an election.

credibility (in the media)

the act quality of trusting and believing a news source

consumer driven (media)

influenced by the actions and needs of consumers

Media Bias

real or imagined prejudice that is thought to affect what stories journalists cover and how they report those stories

political commentary

Offers opinions on political issues, building arguments on evidence and assumptions

investigative journalism

the use of in

Citizens United v. FEC

Money is an expression, free speech and corporations can have the right to free speech (2010)

hard money

campaign contributions donated directly to candidates

soft money

Campaign contributions unregulated by federal or state law, usually given to parties and party committees to help fund general party activities.

general election

An election held to choose which candidate will hold office

Caucuses

meetings where political parties chose their candidates

Congressional Elections

held every two years on the first Tuesday in November

Presidential Elections

Elections held in years when the president is on the ballot.

Iron Triangle

A close relationship between an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group

Political Parties

groups that help elect people and shape policies

Interest groups

A collection of people with the shared goal of influencing public policy and typically seek specific policy goals