AP Government Unit 5 Vocabulary

Political Party

An organization that sponsors candidates for political office under the organization's name.

Political Action Committees

An organization that pools campaign contributions from group members and donates those funds to candidates for political office.

Party Machine

A centralized party organization that dominates local politics by controlling elections.

Patronage

Making appointments to office in return for political support.

Incumbent

A current office holder

Gerrymandering

Redrawing a congressional district to intentionally benefit one political party.

Election Campaign

An organized effort to persuade voters to choose one candidate over others competing for the same office.

Endorsements

Act of giving one's public approval or support to someone.

Majority elections

More than half of the votes.

Runoff election

Under a majority voting system, a second election hold only if no candidate wins a majority of the votes in the first general election. Only the top two vote-getter can compete in the runoff.

Plurality election

(In an election with more than 2 options) The number of votes for the candidate or party receiving the greatest number (but less that half of the votes).

Caucus

A meeting of people, often in an auditorium or church basement, where they vote on who they would like their party's nominee to be.

Primary

A preliminary election conducted within a political party to select candidates who will run for public office in a subsequent election.

Open Primary

A primary in which any registered voter can vote.

Closed Primary

A primary in which only registered members of a particular political party can vote.

Front-Loading

States' practice of moving delegate selection primaries and caucuses earlier in the calendar of the year to gain media and candidate attention.

Delegates (to National Convention)

Someone who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization at a meeting or conference between organizations of the same level.

Nomination/Nominee

The official endorsement of a candidate for office by a political party. Generally, success in the nomination game requires momentum, money, and media attention.

General Election

A national election held by law in November of every-numbered year.

Electors (to Electoral College)

Electors- People elected by the voters in a presidential election as members of the electoral college.

Electoral College- A body of electors chosen by voters to cast ballots for president and vice president.

Ideological

Party that values principled stands on issues above all else, including winning.

Partisan

Favoring a political party

Split Ticket (Ticket Splitting)

In voting, candidates from different parties for different office.

Swing Voter

The approximately one-third of the electorate who are undecided at the start of a campaign.

Swing State

A state that does not consistently vote either democratic or republican in presidential elections.

Divided Government

The situation in which one party controls the White House and the other controls at least one house of congress.

Critical Election (also called Realignment)

An election that produces a sharp change in the existing pattern of party loyalties among groups of voters.

Soft Money

Money raised in unlimited amounts by political parties for party building purposes. Now largely illegal except for limited contributions to state or local parties for voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts.

Hard Money

Political contributions given to a party, candidate, or interest group that are limited in amount and fully disclosed. Raising such limited funds is harder than raising unlimited funds, hence the term "hard" money.

Coalition

Group of individuals with a common interest upon which every political party depends.

Political Efficacy

The belief that one's political participation really matters-that one's vote can actually make a difference.

Voter Turnout

The percentage of eligible citizens who actually vote in a given election.