PLS 101 Exam 3 Missouri State University Nick Beatty

Public Opinion

What the public thinks about a particular issue or set of issues at a certain time

Sample

Subset of the whole population selected to be questioned for the purpose of prediction or gauging opinion

Sampling error

indicates the likelihood that the responses of the sample accurately represents the view of the population

Socioeconomic status

a person or group's position in society, based on a combination of education, occupational status and income

Tracking polls

continuous surveys that enable a campaign or news organization to chart a candidates daily rise or fall in support

Exit polls

polls conducted as voters leave selected polling places on election day

Political participation

actions of private citizens by which they seek to influence or support government and politics

Terrorism

Armed propaganda

Supportive behavior

Actions that express allegiance government and country

Suffrage/Franchise

The right to vote

Progressivism

philosophy of political reform based upon the goodness and wisdom of the citizen as opposed to special interests and political institutions

Recall

an election in which voters can remove an incumbent from office prior to the next scheduled election

Initiative

election that allows citizens to propose legislation or state constitutional amendments by submitting them to electorate

Party functions

Nominate candidates, educate the public, propose alternative government programs, coordinate the actions of government officials

nominations

Selecting who will run for either party

Critical election

signals a party through voter polarization around new issues and personalities

Party identification

a citizens personal affinity for a political party

National convention

party meeting held in the presidential election year for the purpose of president and vice president nominations and to choose a party platform

Party conference

meetings to select party leaders and decide committee assignments

Party machine

centralized party organization that dominates local politics by controlling elections

Election campaign

organized effort to persuade voters to choose one candidate over others competing for the same office

Closed primary

only the party's registered voters are able to cast a vote

Blanket primary

voters receive a ballot containing both parties' potential nominees and can help nominate candidates for all offices for both parties

Local Caucus

meetings of party supporters to choose delegates to attend a larger subsequent meeting, usually at the county and state lever

Open election

an election that lacks an incumbent

First-past-the-post election

elections conducted in single-member districts that awards victory to the candidate with the most votes

Hard money

financial contributions given directly to a candidate running for congressional office or the presidency

Agenda building

process of forming the list of issues to be addressed by the government

Politcal Action Committee

Officially recognized fund-raising organizations that represent interest groups, make contributions to campaigns

Grassroots lobbying

activities performed by rank and file members

Coalition building

banding together of interests groups

Citizen groups

lobbying organization based around non-vocational issues

Political socialization

process through which individuals acquire their political beliefs and values

Population

entire group of people whose attitudes a researcher wishes to measure

Cross-cutting cleavages

issues that include individuals from different groups

Political ideology

coherent set of values and beliefs about the purpose and scope of government held by individuals and groups

Push polls

taken for the purpose of providing information on an opponent that would lead respondents to vote against the candidate

Direct action

Involves assembling crowds to confront businesses or governments to demand a hearing

Influencing behavior

behavior that seeks to modify or reverse government policy to serve political interests

3 types of ballots

Australian ballot, party-column ballot, office-block ballot

Direct primary

preliminary election in which the voters choose each parties' candidates for the general election

Referendum

the state legislature submits proposed legislation or state constitutional amendments to voters for approval

Standard socioeconomic model

people with more money and education are more likely to participate in politics than those with less

Political party

Organized group with shared goals and ideas that joins together to run candidates for office and exercise political power

Single issue party

Parties established to for a particular cause

Political system

Set of interrelated government institutions that links people with government

Electoral realignment

change in voting patterns that occurs after a critical election

Party platform

statement of policies of a national political party

Free-rider problem

potential members fail to join a group because they can still reap the benefits without contributing to the effort

Congressional campaign committee

organization maintained by the party to raise funds to support its own candidates in congressional elections

Responsible party government

set of principles formalizing the ideal role or parties in a majoritarian democracy

Primary election

Voters decide which candidates within a party will represent the party in the general election

Open primary

party members, independents, and sometimes members of other parties are allowed to to participate

Presidential primary

special primary election used to select delegates to attend the party's national convention to nominate the presidential candidate

General election

voters decide which candidates will actually fill elective public offices

Split ticket

voting for candidates of different parties for various offices in the same election

Federal elections committee

federal agency that oversees the financing of national election campaigns

Soft money

funds raised by parties to be spent on party mailings, voter registration, and get out the vote campaign

Program monitoring

keeping track of government programs how they form

Interest group entrepreneur

an interest group organizer

Direct lobbying

influencing a legislators vote through direct contact

Trade association

a group that represents a specific industry