Chapter 9: Campaigns and Voting Behavior

AP U.S. Government & Politics Key Terms

Nomination

The official endorsement of a candidate for office by a political party.

Campaign strategy

The master game plan by which candidates lay out to guide their electoral campaigns.

National party convention

Conventions meeting every four years to nominate the party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates and to write the party’s platform.

McGovern-Fraser Commission

A commission formed at the 1968 Democratic convention in response to demands for reform by minority groups and others who sought better representation.

Superdelegates

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

Invisible primary

The period before any votes are cast when candidates compete to win early support from the elite of the party.

Caucus

A system for selecting convention delegates used in about a dozen states where voters must attend an open meeting.

Presidential primaries

Elections where a state’s voters express their preference for a party’s nominee for president.

Frontloading

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

Party platform

A political party’s statement of its goals and policies for the next four years.

Direct mail

A method of raising money for a political cause or candidate, sending info and requests for money to supporters.

Campaign contributions

Donations made directly to a candidate or party that must be reported to the FEC.

Independent expenditures

Expenses made on behalf of a political message by groups that are uncoordinated with any candidate’s campaign.

Federal Election Campaign Act

A law passed in 1974 for reforming campaign finances, creating the FEC and limiting campaign contributions.

Political Action Committees

Groups that raise money from individuals and distribute it in contributions to supported candidates.

Federal Election Commission

A bipartisan agency created by the Federal Election Campaign Act to administer and enforce campaign finance laws.

McCain-Feingold Act

Legislation that put limits on soft money contributions.

Soft money

Political contributions earmarked for party-building expenses at the grass-roots level or for generic party advertising.

Hard money

Political donations regulated by law specific to campaign financing.

527 groups

Independent political groups that are not subject to contribution restrictions because they don't directly seek to elect particular candidates.

Citizens United

Landmark Supreme Court case ruling that individuals, corporations, and unions can donate unlimited money to independent political expenditures.

501(c) groups

Groups exempt from reporting contributions and can receive unlimited contributions but cannot spend more than half on political activities.

Super PACs

Independent-expenditure-only PACs that can receive any size donations and endorse specific candidates, must report contributions to the FEC.

Selective perception

The phenomenon where people’s beliefs guide what they pay attention to and how they interpret events.

Suffrage

The legal right to vote extended to African Americans, women, and 18-20 year-olds.

Political efficacy

The belief that one’s political participation really matters.

Civic duty

The belief that citizens should vote to support democratic government.

Voter registration

A system requiring voters to register prior to voting, varying by state.

Motor Voter Act

A 1993 act requiring states to allow voter registration when applying for a driver’s license.

Mandate theory of elections

The idea that the winning candidate has a mandate from the people to carry out their platforms and policies.

Policy voting

Electoral choices based on voters’ policy preferences and candidates' positions on issues.

Electoral College

A system providing for the selection of the president by electors chosen by state parties.

Faithless elector

Electors who vote for a candidate they did not pledge to vote for.

Battleground states

Key states that presidential campaigns focus on as they are likely to decide the Electoral College vote.

Spin

Twisting facts or details to benefit a particular person or party.

Initiative

A political process allowing citizens to propose legislation by gathering signatures on a petition.

Keynote address

The speech given at a party convention to set the tone for the convention and future campaign.

Party delegate

A person who speaks on behalf of a party at a meeting or convention.

Convention elector

Persons who give their votes before a national convention occurs.