gov unit 5

Caucus

a process through which a state's eligible voters meet to select delegates to represent their preferences in the nomination process

Horse Race Journalism

coverage of political campaigns that focuses more on the drama of the campaign than on policy issues

Interest group

voluntary association of people who come together with the goal of getting the policies that they favor enacted

Linkage institution

channels that connect individuals with government, including elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media

Party-Line Voting

voting for candidates who belong only to one political party for all of the offices on the ballot

primary election

an election in which a state's voters choose delegates who support a presidential candidate for nomination or an election by a plurality vote to select a party's nominee for a seat in Congress

prospective voting

casting a ballot for a candidate who promises to enact policies favored by the voter in the future

rational choice voting

voting based on what a citizen believes is in his or her best interest

Realignment

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

Retrospective voting

voting based on an assessment of an incumbent's past performance