Elections and Campaigns Vocabulary

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and definitions related to political elections, primaries, ballots, campaigns, and voting behavior.

blanket primary

A variant of the open primary in which the voter receives a ballot that lists the candidates for nomination of all the parties, enabling the voter to vote for candidates of different parties.

closed primary

A type of primary in which the voter must be a registered member of a political party to vote in that party's primary.

coattails (political)

The tendency of lesser-known or weaker candidates to profit in an election by the presence of a more popular candidate on the ticket.

critical or realigning periods

Periods during which a sharp, lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition supporting one or both parties. The issues that separate the two parties change, so the kinds of voters supporting each party change.

electoral coalition

A base of committed partisans supporting an electoral candidate who also attracts swing votes.

electoral realignment

The situation when a new issue of utmost importance to voters cuts across existing party divisions and replaces old issues that formed the basis of party identification.

general election

The second election in a campaign (primary is first). It determines which party's nominee will win office.

incumbent

The person currently in office.

negative ad

Media advertising meant to cast an unfavorable light on an opponent.

office-bloc ballot

A ballot, sometimes called the Massachusetts ballot, that lists all candidates by office to minimize a straight party ticket vote. It was an innovation championed by the Progressives.

open primary

A type of primary in which the voter can decide upon entering voting booth in which party's primary to participate.

party-column ballot

A ballot, sometimes called the Indiana ballot, that was government-printed and contained a list in columns of all candidates of each party. A voter could simply mark the top on one column to vote for every candidate in that column. It was replaced by the office-bloc ballot.

political action committee

A committee, set up by a special-interest group representing a corporation, labor union, or other special interest, to contribute financially to candidates and campaigns.

position issue

A campaign issue on which the rival parties or candidates take different positions in order to reach out for electoral support. It tends to divide the electorate.

presidential primary

A special kind of primary used to pick delegates to the presidential nominating conventions of the major parties.

primary election

The first election in a campaign; it determines a party's nominee for an office.

prospective voting

Voting on the basis of a person's views of candidates' positions on the issues.

public finance law

A federal law providing funds to candidates seeking the presidency. In primaries, matching funds are available only after eligibility requirements are fulfilled. In the general election, the federal government gives candidates of major parties the option of complete financing.

runoff primary

A type of primary used in some southern states. If no candidate gets a majority of the votes in the first primary vote, the two candidates with the most votes vie in a second primary election.

split-ticket voting

An election result in which a congressional district (or voter) votes for the presidential candidate of one party and the congressional candidate of the other party.

spots

Short ads on behalf of a candidate on television. Such ads may convey a substantial amount of information.

straight-ticket voting

Voting for candidates who are all of the same party; for example, voting for the Republican candidates for senator, representative, and president.

theme

An element of campaign strategy that is a simple, appealing idea that can be repeated over and over again.

tone

An element of campaign strategy that involves either a positive (build-me-up) or negative (attack-the-opponent) approach.

valence issue

A campaign issue that is linked in the voters' minds with conditions, goals, or symbols that are almost universally approved or disapproved by the electorate, e.g., corruption.

visual

A campaign appearance covered in a news broadcast.

frontloading

Recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar to capitalize on media attention.

superdelegates

National party leaders who automatically get a delegate slot at the Democratic national party convention.