ap gov unit 5

"free rider" problem

The problem faced by unions and other groups when people do not join because they can benefit from the groups' activities without officially joining

"spoiler" role

minor parties that take enough votes away from one of the two major parties to cost its candidate the election

"Stand by Your Ad" provision

of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act requires candidates, as well as interest groups and political parties supporting or opposing a candidate, to include in political ads on TV and radio "a statement by the candidate that identifies the candidate and states that the candidate has approved the communication"

501(c)3s

is the portion of the US Internal Revenue Code that allows for federal tax exemption of nonprofit organizations, specifically those that are considered public charities, private foundations or private operating foundations

501(c)4s

Nonprofit group that is permitted to lobby and campaign; donations to it are not tax deductible. Ideological interest group. Political organization that attracts members by appealing to their political convictions or principles.

527 groups

created primarily to influence the selection, nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates to federal, state or local public office; type of tax exempt organization (promotes political agenda; not regulated by FEC)

527's

a type of U.S. tax-exempt organization organized under Section 527 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code

Adversarial press

the tendency of the national media to be suspicious of officials and eager to reveal unflattering stories about them

agenda setting

The process by which the media identifies the issues the public should be concerned about.

amicus curiae briefs

a "friend of the court" brief, filed by an individual or organization to present arguments in addition to those presented by the immediate parties to a case

attack ads

an advertisement designed to wage a personal attack against an opposing candidate or political party in order to gain support for the attacking candidate and attract voters

battleground states

A state that is likely to be so closely fought that the campaigns devote exceptional effort to winning the popular and electoral vote there.

beats

Specific locations from which news frequently emanates, such as Congress or the White House. Most top reporters work a particular location, thereby becoming specialists in what goes on there

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act 2002

A law passed in 2002 that banned soft money, put limits on issue advertising, and increased the amount people can donate to candidates; also called the McCain-Feingold bill.

broadcasting

when media covers a wide range of topics and is geared for those that are interested in the news.

Buckley v Valeo

limiting the amount that a candidate could spend on his or her own campaign was unconstitutional on the grounds of the 1st Amendment of Freedom of Speech.

Campaign management

to coordinate a political campaign's operations such as fundraising, advertising, polling, getting out the vote (with direct contact to the public), and other activities supporting the effort, directly.

candidate recruitment

an action interest groups take to recruit, endorse, and/or provide financial or other forms of support for political candidates

case law

Judicial interpretations of common law principles and doctrines, as well as interpretations of constitutional law, statutory law, and administrative law.

caucus

A meeting of party members designed to select candidates and propose policies.

centrism

an ideology at the middle of the political spectrum that combines elements of both liberal and conservative thought

Citizens United v Federal Election Commission

A 2010 landmark Supreme Court case that ruled that individuals, corporations, and unions could donate unlimited amounts of money to groups that make independent political expenditures.

civic engagement

a sense of concern among members of the political community about public, social, and political life, expressed through participation in social and political organizations; promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes.

closed primary

A type of primary in which the voter is limited to choosing candidates of the party of which he or she is a member.

coattail effect

The influence of a popular candidate on the electoral success of other candidates on the same party ticket. The effect is increased by the party-column ballot, which encourages straight-ticket voting.

congressional primary

A statewide primary election to determine what congressmen will run for office for each party.

consensus

General agreement among the citizenry on an issue

Consumer-driven media outlets

media whose content is influenced by the actions and needs of consumers

contemporary political issues

any event, idea, opinion or topic in a given subject that is relevant to the present day.

critical elections

an electoral earthquake where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party. Party realignment is the displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during this period.

dark money

refers to political spending meant to influence the decision of a voter, where the donor is not disclosed and the source of the money is unknown.

dealignment

a decline in party loyalties that reduces long-term party commitment

delegate

A person appointed or elected to represent others

democratic party

One of the two major American political parties evolving out of the Republican Party of Thomas Jefferson.

divided government

A situation in which one major political party controls the presidency and the other controls the chambers of Congress, or in which one party controls a state governorship and the other controls the state legislature.

drafting of legislation

Interest groups attempt to convince members of Congress to introduce drafts on their behalfs.

election cycle

The two-year period between general elections.

electoral college

A group of persons called electors selected by the voters in each state and the District of Columbia; this group officially elects the president and vice president of the United States. The number of electors in each state is equal to the number of each state's representatives in both chambers of Congress.

electorate

all the people in a country or area who are entitled to vote in an election.

electors

A member of the electoral college, which selects the president and vice president. Each state's electors are chosen in each presidential election year according to state laws.

elitism

A theory of American democracy contending that an upper-class elite holds the power and makes policy, regardless of the formal governmental organization.

faithless elector

Elector who does not vote for the candidate they promised to vote for. These have never determined outcome of presidential election but is a major problem with electoral college system

Federal Election Campaign Act 1971

instituting more stringent disclosure requirements for federal candidates, political parties and political action committees (PACs).

Federal Election Commission

administers the campaign finance laws and enforces compliance with their requirements

15th Amendment

Citizens cannot be denied the right to vote because of race, color , or precious condition of servitude

focus group

A small group of individuals who are led in discussion by a professional consultant in order to gather opinions on and responses to candidates and issues.

framing

The presentation of an issue by the media which influences how audiences understand it.

Free Rider Problem

The difficulty interest groups face in recruiting members when the benefits they achieve can be gained without joining the group.

Front-loading

The practice of moving presidential primary elections to the early part of the campaign to maximize the impact of these primaries on the nomination.

gatekeeper

The media can influence what subjects become national political issues and for how long.

gender gap

The difference between the percentage of women who vote for a particular candidate and the percentage of men who vote for the candidate.

GOTV

This phrase describes the multiple efforts expended by campaigns to get voters out to the polls on election day.

Grandfather clause

A device used by southern states to disenfranchise African Americans. It restricted voting to those whose grandfathers had voted before 1867.

grassroots lobbying

to attempts to influence legislation by attempting to affect the opinion of the public with respect to the legislation and encouraging the audience to take action with respect to the legislation

Hard Money

This refers to political contributions and campaign spending that is recorded under the regulations set forth in law and by the Federal Election Commission.

Hatch Act

An act passed in 1939 that restricted the political activities of government employees. It also prohibited a political group from spending more than $3 million in any campaign and limited individual contributions to a campaign committee to $5,000.

horserace journalism

the claim that the media is more interested in covering a campaign like a horserace focusing more on who is ahead rather than in-depth coverage of issues.

hyper-pluralism

a theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government is weakened

ideologically oriented programming

TV and radio news programs that cater to audiences with a particular ideological perspective.

incumbency advantage

The electoral advantage a candidate enjoys by virtue of being an incumbent, over and above his or her other personal and political characteristics

independent

does not identify with a political party

independent candidate

a candidate who is not associated with any political party

independent expenditures

Nonregulated contributions from PACs, organizations, and individuals. The funds may be spent on advertising or other campaign activities so long as those expenditures are not coordinated with those of a candidate.

indirect lobbying

attempts to influence government policymakers by encouraging the general public to put pressure on them

initiative

A procedure by which voters can propose a law or a constitutional amendment.

interest group

an organized group of individuals sharing common objectives who actively attempt to influence policy makers

investigative journalism

The use of in-depth reporting to unearth scandals, scams, and schemes at times putting reporters in adversarial relationships with political leaders

invisible primary

the period between candidates declaring an intention to run for the presidency and the 1st primaries and caucuses. Critically important for a candidate to gain name recognition, money and time to organise a campaign team.

Iowa Caucuses

political party meetings taking place in the state of Iowa to select the U.S. presidential candidate. Traditionally placed first among the nomination contests; widely regarded as an important indicator of a candidate's likely success.

issue ads

ads that focus on issues and do not explicitly encourage citizens to vote for a certain candidate

issue advocacy advertising

Advertising paid for by interest groups that support or oppose a candidate or a candidate's position on an issue without mentioning voting or elections.

linkage institution

is a structure within a society that connects the people to the government or centralized authority.

literacy test

A test administered as a precondition for voting, often used to prevent African Americans from exercising their right to vote.

lobbying

Engaging in activities aimed at influencing public officials, especially legislators, and the policies they enact.

lobbyist

An organization or individual who attempts to influence legislation and the administrative decisions of government.

majority

more than 50 percent

mass media

Forms of communication, such as newspapers and radio, that reach millions of people; the part of mass media that reaches the news.

media bias

the bias or perceived bias of journalists and news producers within the mass media in the selection of events and stories that are reported and how they are covered.

media strategy

choosing the media that will bring the most effective advertising message to the targeted consumer

media

the means of communication, such as radio, television, news outlets, internet, social media that reach people widely

mid-term elections

An election in which voters select members of Congress but not the president; a type of election where the people can elect their representatives in the middle of the term of the executive or of another set of members.

Mobilization of membership

Local parties target outreach to mobilize and register voters by contacting citizens, robocalls, and registration drives

moderate

Person whose views are between conservative and liberal and may include some of both ideologies

muckraking

news coverage focusing on exposing corrupt business and government practices; a journalist who uncovers abuses and corruption in a society

narrowcasting

Broadcasting that is targeted to one small sector of the population.

national convention

The meeting held every four years by each major party to select presidential and vice presidential candidates, to write a platform, to choose a national committee, and to conduct party business.

national popular vote

Proposal for electing the President whereby each State's election laws would provide for all of the State's electoral votes to be awarded to the winner of the national popular vote and enter into an interstate compact agreeing to elect the President by national popular vote.

New Hampshire Primary

First Presidential primary and its winner becomes the media's major attention

news source and information credibility

Not all news sources are created equal, some journalists write with the purpose to entertain or sway, and not to inform. How well a news source can be believed to be reporting the full story

19th Amendment

Women's suffrage

open primary

a primary in which any registered voter can vote (but must vote for candidates of only one party_

party chairperson

the chairman of the national committee of the political party who usually acts as the head of the party's permanent organization and has general direction of party strategy especially during election campaigns.

party conventions

A meeting of party delegates to vote on matters of policy and in some cases to select party candidates for public office.

party organization

The formal structure and leadership of a political party, including election committees; local, state, and national executives; and paid professional staff.

party platform

A document drawn up at each national convention, outlining the policies, positions, and principles of the party.

party-in-government

all of the elected and appointed officials who identify with a political party

party-in-the-electorate

Those members of the general public who identify with a political party or who express a preference for one party over another.

party-line voting

a vote in which a substantial majority of members of a political party vote the same way (usually in opposition to the other political party(ies) whose members vote the opposite way).

patronage

the practice of rewarding faithful party workers and followers with government employment and contracts

plurality

a number of votes cast for a candidate that is greater than the number of votes for any other candidate but not necessarily a majority