gov vocab bolded

Political Culture

the dominate set of beliefs, customs, traditions and values that defines the relationship between citizens and government

Political ideology

an individual’s coherent set of beliefs about government and politics.

Political Socialization

the experiences and factors that shape an individual’s political values, attitudes, and behaviors

Exit poll

a survey conducted outside a polling place in which individuals are asked who or what they just voted for and why

Public opinion

the sum of individuals attitudes about government, policies and issues.

Representative sample

a sample that reflects the demographics of the population

Sampling error

a margin of error in a poll, which is usually calculated to plus or minus 3 percentage points

Political party

an organize group of  party leaders , officeholders, and voters who work together to elect candidates to political office

Political Action Committee

an organization that raises money to elect and defeat candidates and may donate money directly to a candidate’s campaign, subject to limits.

Proportional representation

an election system for a legislature in which citizens vote for parties, rather than individuals and parties are represented in the legislature according to the percentage of the vote they receive

Realignment

when the groups of people who support a political party shift their allegiance to a different political party

Single member plurality system

an election system for choosing members of the legislature where the winner is the candidate who receives the most votes, even if the candidate does not receive a majority of the votes

Straight ticket voting

voting for all of the candidates on the ballot from one political party

Split-ticket voting

voting from candidates from different parties in the same election

Superdelegates

usually a party leader or activist who is not pledged to a candidate based on the outcome of the state’s primary caucus

Third party

a minor political party in competition with the two major parties

Electorate

A body of people allowed to vote in an election.

Incumbent

An official who holds an office.

Party identification

an individual attachment to a political party

Political ideology

a set of beliefs about the desired goals and outcomes of a process of governance

Closed primary

a primary election in which only those who have registered as a member of a political party may vote

Caucus

a process through which a state’s eligible voters meet to select delegates  to represent their preference in the nomination process.

Open primary

a primary election in which all eligible voters may vote, regardless of their party affiliation

Party platform

a set of position and policy objectives that members of a political party agree to

Office-bloc ballot

A ballot on which all candidates are listed under the office for which they are running

Party column ballot

A ballot that encourages party-line voting by listing all of a party's candidates in a column under the party name.

Precinct

One district into which a city or town is divided for voting

Splinter party

A political party formed by members of an existing one whose views or policies differ from those of the majority.

Ward

A unit of precincts into which cities are often divided for the election of city council members