AP Gov Elections and Campaigns

electorate

citizens eligible to vote

primary elections

used to choose party candidate

closed primary

only a party's registered voters can vote in this primary (no independents or other parties may participate)

open primary

anyone can vote to choose a presidential candidate in this primary (however, you may only vote in one primary/election cycle)

caucus

party members meet up to decide the party's candidate

run-off primary

if one candidate does not receive a majority of the vote, this type of primary is held for the the two most popular candidates (mostly occurs in the South)

blanket primary

people are given a list of all of the parties and all of their candidates and may choose from any party for each position in this primary (used in CA)

cross-over voting

when voters choose to vote in a primary that is not their party's primary

raiding

the organized attempt by voters of one party to influence the other party's results

mid-term election

the election two years into a president's term; vote for House members and 1/3 of Senate

general election

any election where voters can vote for any candidate for an elected office

presidential preference primary

primary that chooses presidential candidates for each party

front-loading

by starting primaries earlier, parties can choose their candidate earlier, allowing for more campaigning time

Super Tuesday

day where many states conduct their primaries; usually candidates drop out if they do not do well on this day

delegates

those who directly vote for the nominees; Democrats have more than Republicans; they are bound to vote for the nominee their state voted for

super delegates

elected officials in the Democratic convention; unpledged (may choose any nominee they want) and make up 1/6 of Democratic delegates

voter turnout

number of people who actually go to the polls; usually low (42% in 2010) and lower than registered voters

absentee ballot

ballot filled out and mailed in early by people who can't vote on election day

provisional ballot

ballot used for people who have a problem on site (such as no ID or not on registration lists)

write-in candidate

you can write in the name of a candidate that is not on the ballot

precinct

small geographical area where all of the voters are assigned to the same voting site

Electoral College

process by which the US president is indirectly elected

electoral system

overall system of elections

presidential election

election that takes place every four years

winner-take-all

a candidate receives every delegate/electoral vote if they have the majority of votes

proportional representation

a candidate in the primary receives the % of a state's delegates based on the % of votes they get from that state; most used system in primaries

majority vote

winner gets over 50% of the vote

plurality vote

winner gets most votes, even if that is less than 50% of the total

coattails effect

gaining support by going off of another person's success

critical election (realigning)

election that shows a major shift of people from one party to another

incumbent

elected official currently in office

independent voter

voter who does not associate with a party

initiative

when the people come up with a piece of legislature that is on the ballot of the next election

referendum

when state legislatures offer proposed legislation for voter approval

recall

removal of an incumbent from office in the middle of their term by popular vote

prospective judgement

voting for a person based on what they say they will do

retrospective judgement

voting for a person based on what they did

mandate

when a person is voted into office, they have received a call for action from the people to pass legislature that the elected official believes in

ticket-splitting

voting for more than one party on a ballot

straight-ticket voting

voting all Republicans or all Democrats

early voting

in some states, people may vote prior to election day at designated sites that may not be their normal election day voting site

poll worker

works at polls

gerrymandering

redrawing district lines to benefit a certain party

reapportionment

redoing the distribution of House members based on Census results

redistricting

gerrymandering; redrawing the boundary lines of a voting district

majority-minority district

a district with a majority minority population

24th Amendment

amendment that banned poll taxes

Voting Rights Act (1965)

act that banned the literacy test; allowed people to vote regardless of color

Federal Election Commission (FEC)

independent regulatory agency that regulates finances and advertisements during an election

micro-targeting

ads designed to appeal to specific groups of people

grassroots activity

door to door, phone banks (word of mouth)

robo calls

computerized pre-recorded calls to target voters to encourage them to vote and give information on a candidate

public communication

broader definition of election communication (yard signs, TV, radio, etc.)

electioneering communication

larger scale than public communication; refers specifically to a candidate and made within 60 days of a presidential and 30 days of a primary election

independent expenditures

money spent by groups, such as Super PACS, that have no affiliation with a party

disclaimer

says who paid for an ad

free media

sources such as talk shows, televised debates, and news coverage

sound bytes

source of free media; used on media coverage

soft money

money raised and spent by political groups (PACs, parties, 527 groups) not directly devoted to candidates; regulated by BCRA (McCain-Feingold Act); used for state and local political and party building activities

hard money

money raised and spent by a candidate's campaign organization (there is a cap)

express advocacy

directly states support for one candidate

issue advocacy

supports an issue, not a candidate directly

direct mailing

method through which interest groups, parties, and campaigns get contributions directly through the mail

527 organizations

tax-exempt group created to influence a campaign or candidate; not as regulated (mainly issue advocates)

501 organizations

non-political, tax exempt group whose finances are unlimited (though their political activity is)

501 (c) 4 organizations

same as 501, but more political; they are allowed if politics is not their primary goal

PACs

Political Action Committees; organized for unions or corporations who want to be involved with politics, but are regulated by federal law; PACs are regulated by the FEC and can donate directly up to $5000 per candidate per election

Super PACs (Independent Expenditure Committees)

PAC that pays for communications/ads for a specific candidate; can't give money directly to the candidate and may not admit coordination with a party

Leadership PAC (political party PACs)

PAC that shares/donates money between elected party members to increase chance of reelection

12th Amendment

amendment that created Electoral College; separated presidential and vice presidential campaigns/elecitons

15th Amendment

amendment that declared that suffrage can't be denied on account of race

19th Amendment

that amendment that granted women's right to vote

23rd Amendment

DC gets representation in the House (and 3 Electoral College votes)

26th Amendment

amendment that allowed anyone 18+ to vote

Federal Election Campaign Act (1971)

act that created the FEC; imposed restrictions on $$ from certain sources; forced public disclosure of money in federal elections; created public funding for presidential elections: if accepted, places limit on how much money can be raised overall

Motor Voter Act (1993)

National Voter Registration Act; voter registration must be offered at places where you can get your driver's license, schools, or by mail

Help America Vote Act (2002)

act that updates election machines and process; provides help for disabled and disadvantaged peoples; created provisional ballots, computerized registration, voter ID laws, and signs at polls explaining voting rights

Bi-partisan Campaign Reform Act (2002)

McCain-Feingold Act or BCRA; expanded limitation on campaign contributions and tracks and controls campaign advertising

Buckley v. Valeo

case about FECA; government cannot place mandatory spending limits by candidates, nor limit amount candidate can spend from their own money if they refused public funding; may regulate election contributions and express advocacy

FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life (2007)

case that declares the BCRA section that bans corporate spending on issue ads within 60 days of an election unconstitutional

Citizen's United v. FEC (2009)

case that gave corporation speech rights that are the same as an individual's; allowed companies to finance campaign ads without limits (although they must use disclaimers and disclose money contributions for ads); cannot contribute directly to candidate's campaign; may donate unlimited amounts of money to nonprofit arms of PACs

McConell v. FEC

case that upheld most of BCRA except banning minors from contributions to candidates

Baker v. Carr

case that allowed states to redistrict, as long as all of the districts have approximately the same population

Bush v. Gore (2000)

case that overturned FL state Supreme Court ruling to recount the ballots in the election