AP Gov Unit 4/Part 2

Voter apathy

Voter apathy

lack of interest among voters in the elections of representative democracies

White primaries

primary elections held in the Southern United States in which only white voters were permitted to participate

Poll taxes

taxes to vote

Candidate centered campaign

These are political campaigns where the focus is primarily on the candidate's personal image, ideas, and individuality rather than party affiliation

Split ticket voting

where voters vote for candidates from different parties during an election

Straight ticket voting

voters assigning all their votes to the candidates of one political party in an election

Dealigning elections

process where a large portion of the electorate abandons its previous partisan affiliation, without developing a new one to replace it

Realigning elections

the switching of voter preference from one party to another

Coattail effect

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

Caucus

local gatherings where party members discuss and choose candidates openly

Voting blocs

a class of electoral systems where multiple candidates are elected simultaneously

Life cycle effect

the changes in one person's life as they age, marry, have children, buy a home, or retire

Political efficacy

the citizens' trust in their ability to change the government and belief that they can understand and influence political affairs

Initiative (voting)

allow citizens to place legislation on the ballot to vote, either enacting new legislation, or voting down existing legislation

Referendum

direct vote on a proposal, law, or political issue

Recall

allows voters to remove an elected official from office before their term expires through a special election

Primary elections

Direct: voters directly choose a political party's candidates for office

Blanket: only allow voters to vote for candidates in one political party

Runoff: second Primary Election held to determine a winner when no candidate in the Primary Election met the required threshold for victory 

Open: primary election that does not require voters to be affiliated with a political party in order to vote for partisan candidates

Closed: Only voters who are registered members of political parties may vote for respective party candidates or nominees