AP Gov Chapter 4

electorate

the citizens eligible to vote

coups d'etat

societies that cannot vote their leaders out of office are left with little choice other than these strikes/riots

mandate

a command, indicated by an electorate's votes, for the elected officials to carry out a party platform or policy agenda

primary election

election in which voters decide which of the candidates within a party will represent the party in the general election, between two people of same party

closed primary

a primary election in which only a party's registered voters are eligible to cast a ballot, considered healthier because they prevent members of one party from influencing the opposition party

open primary

a primary election in which party members, independents, and sometimes members of the other party are allowed to participate

crossover voting

participation in the primary election of a party with which the voter is not affiliated

runoff primary

a second primary election between the two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes in the first primary

general election

election in which voters decide which candidates will actually fill elective public offices, candidates of opposing parties

initiative

an election that allows citizens to propose legislation or state constitutional amendments by submitting them to the electorate for popular vote, ballot measure

referendum

an election whereby the state legislature submits proposed legislation or state constitutional amendments to the voters for approval, ballot measure

recall

an election in which voters can remove an incumbent from office prior to the next scheduled election, 65 percent taken place in last 30 years

winner-take-all primary

the candidate who wins the most votes in a state secures all of that state's delegates

proportional representation primary

candidates who secure a threshold percentage of votes are awarded delegates in proportion to the number of popular votes won

caucus

a closed meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform

electoral college

representatives of each state who cast the final ballots that actually elect a president

elector

member of the electoral college, equivalent to number of senators and representatives that state has in Congress

reapportionment

the reallocation of the number of seats in the House of Representatives after each decennial census, altered every ten years to reflect population shifts

incumbency

already holding an office, current system enhances the advantages, people in office tend to remain in office

presidential coattails

when successful presidential candidates carry into office congressional candidates of the same party in the year of their election

mid-term election

an election that takes place in the middle of a presidential term, presents a threat to incumbents of the president's party

campaign manager

the individual who travels with the candidate and coordinates the campaign

finance chair

the individual who coordinates the financial business of the campaign

communications director

the person who develops the overall media strategy for the candidate

press secretary

the individual charged with interacting and communicating with journalists on a daily basis

campaign consultant

a private-sector professional who sells to a candidate the technologies, services, and strategies required to get that candidate elected

pollster

a campaign consultant who conducts public opinion surveys

voter canvass

the process by which a campaign reaches individual voters, either by door-to-door solicitation or by telephone

get-out-the-vote (GOTV)

a push at the end of a political campaign to encourage supporters to go to the polls

positive ad

advertising on behalf of a candidate that stresses the candidate's qualifications, family, and issue positions, with no direct reference to the opponent

negative ad

advertising on behalf of a candidate that attacks the opponent's character or platform

contrast ad

ad that compares the records and proposals of the candidates, with a bias toward the candidate sponsoring the ad

inoculation ad

advertising that attempts to counteract an anticipated attack from the opposition before the attack is launched

Federal Election Campaign Act

passed in 1971, this is the primary law that regulates political campaign spending and fundraising; originally focused on increased disclosure of contributions for federal campaigns

Federal Election Commission

an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 1975 by the United States Congress to regulate the campaign finance legislation in the United States

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act

passed in 2002, this act amended the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 with several provisions designed to end the use of nonfederal, or "soft money" (money raised outside the limits and prohibitions of federal campaign finance law) for activity affecting federal elections

Citizens United v. FEC

the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court case that enabled corporations and unions have the same political speech rights as individuals under the First Amendment; as part of this ruling, the Supreme Court found that the government may not prohibit corporations or unions from using their general treasury funds to support or denounce political candidates in elections

McCutcheon v. FEC

the 2014 Supreme Court ruling that declared Section 441 of the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) unconstitutional; section 441 imposed limits on any individual's total political contributions (to federal candidates, parties, or political action committees) in a two-year period

Political Action Committee (PAC)

officially recognized fund-raising organizations that represent interest groups and are allowed by federal law to make contributions directly to candidates' campaigns

527 political committee

organizations created with the primary purpose of influencing electoral outcomes; the term is typically applied only to freestanding interest groups that do not explicitly advocate for the election of a candidate

501(c) groups

interest groups whose primary purpose is not electoral politics, most of their electoral activity focuses on raising awareness of candidates' positions on issues of interest to the group

super PAC

political action committees established to make independent expenditures

independent expenditures

spending for campaign activity that is not coordinated with a candidate's campaign

public funds

donations from general tax revenues to the campaigns of qualifying presidential candidates

matching funds

donations to presidential campaigns whereby every dollar raised from individuals in amounts less than $251 is matched by the federal treasury

conventional political participation

activism that attempts to influence the political process through commonly accepted forms of persuasion such as voting or letter writing

unconventional political participation

activism that attempts to influence the political process through unusual or extreme measures, such as protests, boycotts, and picketing

turnout

the proportion of the voting-age public that casts a ballot, 50 or 60 percent

retrospective judgement

a voter's evaluation of a candidate based on past performance on a particular issue

prospective judgement

a voter's evaluation of a candidate based on what he or she pledges to do about an issue if elected

front-loading

the tendency of states to choose an early date on the nomination calendar

Help America Vote Act (HAVA)

A federal law passed in 2002 that addresses issues of voting systems and voter access that were identified following the 2000 election; it established minimum election administration standards for states and units of local government with responsibility for the administration of federal elections and for other purposes related to the bill