Political Parties and Their Functions

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to political parties, their functions, electoral systems, and associated concepts.

Political Parties

Organizations that seek to gain control of government by electing their members to office.

Interest Aggregation

The process by which political parties narrow down a broad set of interests and demands to a more manageable set that can be represented in policy making.

Partisanship

Political party identification that influences voting and decision-making.

Political Recruitment

The process by which political parties seek to identify and encourage candidates to run for office.

Closed Primary

A primary election in which only registered party members can vote to select their party's candidates.

Open Primary

A primary election in which voters can choose to participate in either party's primary regardless of their own party affiliation.

First-Past-the-Post Voting

An electoral system where the candidate with the most votes wins, without needing an absolute majority.

Proportional Representation

An electoral system where parties gain seats in the legislature in proportion to the number of votes they receive.

Spoiler Effect

A situation where a third-party candidate draws votes away from a major candidate, potentially changing the outcome of the election.

Party Eras

Distinct periods in U.S. political history characterized by the dominance of one political party over others.

Electoral College

A body of representatives from each state that formally elects the president and vice president of the United States.