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political party
an organized group of party leaders, officeholders, and voters who work together to elect candidates to political office.
party identification
an individual’s attachment to a 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
a set of positions and policy objectives that members of a political party agree to.
recruitment
the process through which political parties identify political candidates.
party coalition
interest groups and like-minded 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
party era
time period when one party wins most national elections.
era of divided government
a trend since 1969, in which one party controls one or both houses of Congress and the president is from the opposing party.
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 particular 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 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.
superdelegate
usually, a party leader or activist who is not pledged to a candidate based on the outcomes of the state’s primary or caucus.
front-loading
a decision by a state to push its primary or caucus to a date as early in the election season as possible to gain more influence in the presidential nomination process.
national convention
a meeting where delegates officially select their party’s nominee for the presidency.
candidate-centered campaign
a trend in which candidates develop their own strategies and raise money with less influence from the party elite.
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.
interest groups
voluntary associations of people who come together with the goal of getting the policies that they favor enacted.
social movements
diffuse groups that educate the public and put pressure on policymakers in an effort to bring about societal change.
theory of participatory democracy
the belief that citizens impact policymaking through their involvement in civil society.
civil society
groups outside the government that advocate for policy.
pluralist theory
a theory that political power is distributed among many competing groups, which means that no single group can grow too powerful.
elitist theory
a theory that the wealthy elite class has a disproportionate amount of economic and political power.
policy agenda
the sets of issues to which government officials, voters, and the public are paying attention.
collective action
political action that occurs when individuals contribute their energy, time, or money to a larger group goal.
collective good
also called a public good; a public benefit that individuals can enjoy or profit from, even if they do not help achieve it.
free riders
individuals who enjoy collective goods and benefit from the actions of an interest group without joining.
selective benefits
benefits available only to those who join the group.
economic interest groups
groups advocating on behalf of the financial interests of their members.
public interest groups
groups that act on behalf of the collective interests of a broad group of individuals.
single-issue groups
associations focusing on one specific area of public policy, often a moral issue about which they are unwilling to compromise.
government interest groups
organizations acting on behalf of local, state, or foreign governments.
lobbying
interacting with government officials in order to advance a group’s public policy goals
revolving door
the movement of individuals between positions in government and lobbying positions.
amicus curiae brief
a brief filed by someone who is not a party to a case in an attempt to persuade the Court to agree with the arguments set forth in the brief.
iron triangle
the coordinated and mutually beneficial activities of the bureaucracy, Congress, and interest groups to achieve shared policy goals.
issue network
the webs of influence between interest groups, policymakers, and policy advocates.
grassroots lobbying
mobilizing interest group members to pressure their representatives by contacting them directly through phone calls, email, and social media.
protest
a public demonstration designed to call attention to the need for change.
civil disobedience
intentionally breaking a law to call attention to an injustice.
news media
a broad term that includes newspapers, magazines, radio, television, internet sources, blogs, and social media postings that cover important events.
social media
forms of electronic communication that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.
agenda setting
the media’s ability to highlight certain issues and bring them to the attention of the public.
mass media
sources of information designed to reach a wide audience, including newspapers, radio, television, and Internet outlets.
wire service
an organization that gathers and reports on news and then sells the stories to other outlets.
investigative journalism
an approach to news gathering in which reporters dig into stories, often looking for instances of wrongdoing.
broadcast media
outlets for news and other content including radio and television that bring stories directly into people’s homes.
media consolidation
the concentration of ownership of the media into fewer corporations.
partisan bias
the slanting of political news coverage in support of a particular political party or ideology.
horse-race journalism
coverage of political campaigns that focuses more on the drama of the campaign rather than on policy issues.
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