Ap gov pol party vocab

Political Party

An organization that sponsors candidates for political office under the organization’s name.

Diploma Divide

The recent trend among white voters where the longer you stay in school, the more likely you are to be a Democrat.

Gender Gap

The difference in voting preferences between men and women; women are more likely to vote Democratic than men.

Majority Election

An election where a candidate must get 50% of the votes plus one to win; if no candidate does, there is no winner (rare in America).

Plurality Election

An election where the winner is the candidate who gets the most votes, even if it is less than 50% (common in America).

Party Dealignment

The increasing unwillingness of the American people to identify with either the Democratic or Republican parties.

Party Realignment

When a group of voters switches its party loyalty from one major party to the other.

Critical Election

An election involving a party realalignment.

Party Identification

A voter’s psychological attachment to a party.

National Committee

The committee which governs the national party between conventions.

National Convention

A meeting of party members every four years where the party selects presidential and vice-presidential nominees and drafts a platform.

Party Platform

A political party’s statement of policies and beliefs.

Patronage

The practice of giving government jobs and contracts to political supporters, instead of awarding them based on merit.

Civil Service Reform Laws

Laws requiring government jobs and contracts to be awarded based on merit, effectively outlawing patronage.

Political Machine

A local party organization that controlled politics in its area through patronage or illegal means like fraud or intimidation.

Proportional System

A system for electing a group in which voters vote for a party and the party’s share of seats matches its share of votes.

Winner Take All / Single Member District / First Past the Post

A system for electing a group where each district elects one representative and the candidate with the most votes wins.

Party Polarization

The increasing gap between the beliefs of Democrats and Republicans.

Straight Ticket Voting

Voting for all candidates of the same party in an election.

Ticket Splitting

Voting for one party’s candidate for one office and another party’s candidate for a different office in the same election.

New Deal Coalition

A Democratic-supporting coalition from the 1930s to 1960s including the white working class, immigrants, Jews, the poor, Southerners, African-Americans, and intellectuals.