apgov vocab 2

Attentive public

Those who follow politics and public affairs carefully.

Australian ballot

Secret ballot printed at the expense of the state.

Balancing the ticket

When a presidential nominee chooses a vice presidential running mate with different qualities to attract more votes.

Caucus

Local party meeting.

Closed primary

Party election to choose candidates that is closed to independents; voters may not cross party lines.

Coattail effect

Influence of a popular presidential candidate on the election of congressional candidates of the same party.

Demographics

Characteristics of populations

Direct election

Election of an official directly by the people rather than by an intermediary group like the Electoral College.

Direct primary

Election in which the people choose candidates for office.

Fixed terms

Terms of office that have a definite length of time (e.g.

Front loading

Scheduling presidential primary elections early (e.g.

Gender gap

Difference in voting patterns between men and women; women tend to vote more Democratic.

General election

Election in which officeholders are chosen

Hard money

Campaign contributions donated directly to candidates.

Ideology

Set of beliefs about political values and the role of government.

Incumbent

An officeholder who is seeking reelection.

Independent

One not registered with a political party. Independent leaners favor one party; pure independents have no consistent pattern.

Issue advocacy ads

Ads focusing on issues without explicitly encouraging votes for a specific candidate.

Open primary

Election to choose candidates that is open to independents and allows voters to choose candidates from any one party.

Party identification

Sense of affiliation a person has with a particular political party.

Party platform

List of positions and programs a party adopts at the national convention; each position is a plank.

Political culture

Widely shared beliefs

Plurality

Receiving more votes than anyone else but less than half; the person with the most votes wins.

Political efficacy

Capacity to understand and influence political events.

Political socialization

Process through which one acquires political beliefs.

Realigning (critical) election

Election that causes a long-term change in party alignment (e.g.

Safe seat

Office extremely likely to be won by a specific candidate or party.

Single member district system

System where people elect one representative per district; strengthens major parties.

Soft money

Campaign contributions donated to parties instead of directly to candidates.

Solid South

Region that historically voted Democratic but now votes Republican.

Split ticket voting

Voting for candidates from different parties in the same election.

Straight ticket voting

Voting only for candidates from one’s own party.

Suffrage

The right to vote.

Superdelegate

Delegate to the Democratic National Convention who attends by virtue of holding an office.

Super Tuesday

Early March Tuesday when many presidential primaries

Swing state

State that does not consistently vote Democratic or Republican in presidential elections.

Horse race coverage

the tendency of the media to report on an election campaign as if it were a horse race

Nonpartisan elections

elections in which candidates are not identified by party membership on the ballot

schenck v united states

Supreme Court case that established that the first amendment could be denied if it presented a "clear and present danger"

barron v baltimore

Supreme Court case that said the Bill of Rights didn't apply to the states (guy who's dock got messed up tried to sue the state government via the 5th amendment)

marbury v madison

Supreme Court case that established the power of judicial review.

gitlow v new york

Supreme Court case that said that the 1st amendment would be incorporated via the 14th amendment to apply to the states.

plessy v ferguson

Supreme Court case that established the doctrine of "separate but equal."