Civics: Elections, Voting, and Political Campaigns

Vocabulary flashcards covering citizenship responsibilities, voting mechanics, election structures, campaign management, and campaign finance jurisprudence.

Political Socialization

The process and developmental influences through which individuals acquire their political ideology and partisan viewpoints.

Ross Perot

The third-party presidential candidate whose candidacy significantly impacted the outcome of the 1992 election.

Ralph Nadar

The third-party presidential candidate whose minor-party run affected the outcome of the 2000 presidential election.

Caucuses

A form of primary election meeting where voters gather locally to deliberate and select candidates, famously held first in Iowa.

Electoral College Allocation

The method of assigning electoral votes to each state based on its total representation in Congress (number of U.S. Representatives plus two U.S. Senators).

Referendum

An electoral process where the citizens of a state vote directly for or against a law proposed by the state legislature.

Initiative

A direct democracy process allowing citizens to propose new laws at the state level.

Recall (Direct Democracy)

A process allowing citizens to remove elected officials at the state level by securing petition signatures to trigger a special replacement election, such as the 2021 California Governor election.

Australian Ballot

A secret ballot produced and distributed by the government and tallied by government officials with no bias.

Butterfly Ballot

A ballot design utilized in Palm Beach County, Florida in the 2000 presidential election that was criticized for confusing voters and causing approximately 2,000 Democrats to vote for Pat Buchanan.

Hangin Chads

Incomplete punch card paper ballots where voter intent could not be discerned, which catalyzed election reforms, new voting equipment, and state-level voter ID laws.

Absentee Voting

A system where voters cast ballots in advance by mail, historically permitted only when an individual cannot reach the polls due to illness, disability, school, work, travel, or military service.

Early Voting

An alternative voting procedure adopted by 28 states (with Connecticut as the newest) allowing citizens to vote in person before Election Day to avoid long lines.

Lack of Efficacy

A belief held by voters that they do not influence election outcomes or that the government fails to listen to them, which is more commonly felt among poorer populations.

Voter Fatigue

A state of voter apathy or burnout that scholars attribute to the long, drawn-out duration of political campaigns in the United States.

Purging Voter Rolls

The removal of deceased or relocated individuals from voter lists, which can become an obstacle when states purge eligible voters based on inaccurate data or illegitimate reasons.

Voter ID Laws

State mandates implemented to prevent voter fraud that act as voting obstacles for the approximately 21 million U.S. citizens who do not possess government identification.

Formal Requirements for U.S. Senator

The constitutional requirements specifying that an individual must be at least 30 years old, a U.S. citizen for 9 years, and a resident of the state they represent.

Formal Requirements for U.S. Representative

The constitutional qualifications requiring a candidate to be at least 25 years old, a U.S. citizen for 7 years, and a resident of the state they represent.

Campaign Consultants

Paid professionals specializing in the management of political campaigns, including campaign managers, pollsters, media consultants, and fundraising consultants.

The 3 M's of Campaigns

The three core strategic pillars of running a campaign: Message (the candidate's policy positions), Money (funds necessary for campaign expenses), and Minutes (tight daily schedule management).

Buckley v. Valeo (1976)

A Supreme Court ruling establishing that spending money on political campaigns is protected free speech under the First Amendment, allowing candidates to spend unlimited amounts of their own funds.

Political Action Committees (PACs)

Organizations connected to specific corporations, labor groups, or recognized political parties that grew rapidly in number after Buckley v. Valeo to raise campaign funds.

2012 Citizens United Decision

A Supreme Court decision ruling that corporations and labor unions are entitled to First Amendment free speech rights, which led to the formation of Super PACs.

Super PAC

An independent political action committee established following the Citizens United decision that can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money on political campaigns.