AP U.S. Government: Elections, Third Parties, and the Electoral College

A collection of vocabulary flashcards covering midterm dynamics, political realignment, barriers to third-party candidates, and Electoral College mechanisms.

Generic ballot

A broad polling inquiry used to assess how political parties are perceived nationwide and which party voters generally favor.

Critical elections

Rare elections where voters and political parties undergo realignment, such as the shift during the 1950s and 1960s when civil rights prompted major party changes.

Dealignment

A trend in which voters leave their political party rather than realigning with an alternative party.

Winner-take-all system

An electoral mechanism where the candidate receiving the most votes wins the entire contest, eliminating proportional seat allocation.

Proportional voting

An electoral system commonly paired with multiple-member districts in which legislative seats are allocated based on the percentage of the vote won (e.g., $20\%$ of the vote grants two representatives).

Single-member districts

Districts that elect only one representative per seat, which operates alongside winner-take-all rules as a barrier to third-party success.

Structural barriers

Formal institutional rules that hinder third-party candidates, including winner-take-all rules, the Electoral College, single-member districts, and state-level ballot requirements.

Ballot access requirements

Formal state obstacles, such as filing fees, signature gathering, and petition thresholds, that make it difficult for third-party candidates to qualify for an election ballot.

$270$ electoral votes

The majority threshold required in the Electoral College to win the presidency; failing to achieve this sends the election to the House and Senate.

Invisible primary

An informal barrier where candidates must demonstrate their viability by raising sufficient campaign revenue and financial contributions before the official race begins.

Voter alienation

A mindset where a citizen believes in voting but feels the available major-party choices do not represent who they are or what they want.

Swing state

A competitive battleground state, such as Pennsylvania or Michigan, that presidential campaigns target heavily because its electoral outcome is uncertain.

Keystone State

A nickname for Pennsylvania, derived from the central stone that holds an arch together, reflecting its pivotal role as a battleground state in elections.