AP Government Unit 5 Study Guide

Flashcards covering key concepts related to political parties, elections, and campaign finance in the context of AP Government.

Interest Groups

Organizations that focus on specific issues and work with political parties to influence legislation.

Political Parties

Organizations that run for office and aim to get their candidates elected.

Majority Parties

Political parties, like Democrats and Republicans, that are most likely to win elections due to their popularity.

Minority Parties

Political parties that focus on specific issues and are less likely to win elections.

Primary Elections

Elections that narrow down the candidates for each political party.

Caucus

An informal meeting of voters to discuss and select candidates.

Open Primary

An election system where voters can choose which political party's primary to participate in on the election day.

Closed Primary

An election system where voters can only vote for the party they are registered with.

Frontloading

The practice of states moving up their election dates to gain attention and funding.

Midterm Elections

Elections held every two years for Senators and Representatives.

General Elections

Elections held every four years for the President and members of Congress.

National Conventions

Meetings where each political party announces their presidential candidate and their party platform.

Electoral College

A body that elects the President and Vice President of the United States; each state has a number of electoral votes based on its population.

Winner-Take-All System

An electoral system where the majority of votes goes to one candidate.

Congressional District Method

A system used by Maine and Nebraska where electoral votes are distributed based on individual district voting.

Incumbent

The current officeholder seeking reelection.

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)

Legislation that placed limits on campaign financing and spending.

Citizens United v. FEC

Supreme Court case that ruled corporations have Constitutional rights and the BCRA violated the 1st Amendment.

Hard Money

Campaign contributions directly to a candidate, which are limited.

Soft Money

Campaign contributions to a political party, which are unlimited.

Gatekeeper

The media's role in determining which stories are reported.

Scorekeeper

The media's role in tracking election results.

Watchdog

The media's role in looking out for the public's interests.