Waples, American Government: Stories of a Nation for the AP® Course, 2E, Chapter 14

political party

an organized group of party leaders, officeholders, and voters who work together to elect candidates to political office.

party identification

the degree to which a voter is connected to and influenced by a particular political party.

straight ticket voting

voting for all of the candidates on the ballot from one political party.

split ticket voting

voting for candidates from different parties in the same election.

party platform

an official set of positions and policy objectives of a political party.

recruitment

the process through which political parties identify poten- tial candidates.

coalition

demographic groups of voters who support a political party over time

realignment

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

critical election

a major national election that signals a change in the balance of power between the two parties.

divided government

when control of the presidency and one or both chambers of Congress is split between the two major parties.

nomination

the formal process through which parties choose their candidates for political office.

delegate

a person who acts as the voters’ representative at a convention to select the party’s nominee.

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.

open primary

a primary election in which all eligible voters may vote, regardless of their party affiliation.

closed primary

a primary election in which only those voters who have registered as a member of a political party may vote.

caucus

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

national convention

a meeting where delegates officially select their party’s nominee for the presidency.

candidate-centered campaign

a campaign in which the public’s focus is on the characteristics of the candidate and not on the party.

two-party system

a system in which two political parties dominate politics, winning almost all elections.

proportional representation system

an election system for a legislature in which citizens vote for parties, rather than individuals, and parties are represented in the legislature according to the percentage of the vote they receive.

single-member plurality system

an election system for choosing members of the legislature where the winner is the candidate who receives the most votes, even if the candidate does not receive a majority of the votes.

third party

a minor political party in competition with the two major parties.