AP Gov - Campaigns, Elections, Public Opinions, Political Parties

American National Election Studies

includes questions about how respondents voted, their political oaffiliation, and their opinions of major political parties and candidates

Benchmark poll

the first poll taken in a campaign

Entrance Polls

taken before voters cast their votes, ask for who the voter plans to vote for and other similar questions

Exit Polls

polls conducted as voters leave selected polling places on Election Day

George Gallup

one of the earliest developers of scientific methods for public opinion polling and a proponent for a strong role for the voice of the public in politics and government

Literary Digest 1936 straw poll

oversampled the upper middle class and wealthy people, who tend to be more republican. The questionnaires were mailed ou too early and didn’t allow them to see opinion as election grew closer. The response rate was low

Margin of Error

a measure of the accuracy of public opinion poll within statistical parameters

Population

the entire group of people whose attitudes a researcher wish it says to measure

Public Opinion

what the public thinks about a particular issue or set of issues at any point in time

Public opinion polls

interviews or surveys with samples of citizens that are used to estimate the feelings and beliefs of the entire population

Push polls

polls taken for the purpose of providing information on an opponent that would lead respondents to vote against that candidate

random sample

a method of poll selection that gives each person in a group the same chance of being selected

sample

a subset of the whole population selected to be questioned for the purposes of prediction or gauging opinion.

sampling error

error resulting from the size or the quality of a survey sample

stratified sampling

a variation of random sampling; the population is divided into subgroups and weighted based on demographic characteristics of the national population

straw poll

unscientific survey used to gauge public opinion on a variety of issues and policies

tracking polls

continuous surveys that enable a campaign or news organization to chart a candidate’s daily or weekly rise or fall in support

conservative

one who favors limited government intervention, particularly in economic affairs

fiscal policy

the deliberate use of the national government’s taxing and spending policies to maintain economic stability

horse-race journalism

political journalism of elections that resembles coverage of horse races because of the focus on polling data and public perception instead of candidate policy, and almost exclusive reporting on candidate differences rather than similarities

keynesian polcy

an economic approach first championed by economist John Maynard Keynes in the 1930s, who maintained that spending by government can stimulate economic growth much faster than a free market could on its own

liberal

one who favors greater government intervention, particularly in economic affairs and in the provision of social services

libertarian

one who believes in limited government interference in personal and economic liberties

moderate

a person who takes a relatively centrist or middle-of-the-road view on most political issues

monetary policy

a form of government regulation in which the nation’s money supply and interest rates are controlled

political ideology

the coherent set of values and beliefs about the purpose and scope of government held by groups and individuals

political socialization

the process through which individuals acquire their political beliefs and values

social conservative

one who believes that the government should support and further traditional moral teachings

statist

one who believes in extensive government control of personal and economic liberties

supply-side policies

aims to stimulate economic growth primarily through tax cuts and deregulation

candidate centered politics

politics that focus on the candidates, their particular issues, and teir character, rather than party affiliation

critical election

an election that signals a party realignment through voter polarizaiton around new issues and personalities

delegate

role played by representative who votes the way his or her constituents would want, regardless of personal opinions; may refer to an elected representative to Congress or a representative to the party convention

democratic republican

a political party led by Alexander Hamilton that supported a strong central government, a loose interpretation of the Constitution, and commercial interests

federalist

supporters of ratification of the Constitution and of a strong central government

national chairperson

responsible for day-to-day activities of the party and is usually handpicked by the presidential nominee

national committee

an organization that oversees the activities of a political party at the national level in the United States

national convention

a party meeting held in the presidential election year for the purposes of nominating a presidential and vice presidential tickey adn adopting a platform

national party platform

a statement of the general and specific philosophy and policy goals of a political party, usually promulgated at the national convention

party boss

the person with the most power in a political party or one branch of a political party

party identification

a citizen’s attachment to a political party based on issues, ideology, past experience, or upbringing, which tends to be a reliable indicator of likely voting choices

party realignment

dramatic shifts in partisan preferences that drastically alter the political landscape

political machine

a party organization that recruits voter loyalty with tangible incentives and is characterized by a high degree of control over member activity

political party

an organized group that may include office holders, candidates, activists, and voters who pursue their common interests by gaining and exercising power through the electoral process

republican

a member of one of the two major political parties in the US that is usually associated with reduced taxation, with limited government regulation

secular realignment

the gradual rearrangement of party coalitions, based more on demographic shifts than on shocks to the political system

superdelegate

delegate to each party’s national convention tha is reserved for a party official and whose vote at the convention is unpledged to a candidate

ideological parties

a group of people who have certain beliefs that they support

partisan polarization

the presence of increasingly conflicting and divided viewpoints between the Democratic and Republican parties

protest parties

a group of individuals with broad common interest who organize to nominate candidates for office, win elections, and promote a set of public policies

ralph nader

an American political activist,an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government

ross perot

billionaire 3rd-party candidate in the 1992 presidential election who won 19 percent of the popular vote--a result that demonstrated voter disatisfaction with the two major parties and that helped ensure the election of Bill Clinton

single-issue parties

single-member district

splinter parties

winner-take-all system

an electoral system in which the party that receives at least one more vote than any other party wins the election

blanket primary

campaign consultant

a private-sector professional who sells to a candidate technologies, services, and strategies required to get that candidate elected

campaign manager

the individual who travels with the candidate and coordinates the campaign

caucus

the oldest and most party-oriented method of choosing delegates to the national conventions. A closed meeting of party activists in each state who select the party’s choice for presidential candidate.

closed primary

a primary election in which only a party’s registered voters are eligible to cast a ballot

communications director

the person who develops the overall media strategy for the candidate

contrast ad

ad that compares the records and proposals of the candidates, with a bias toward the candidate sponsoring the ad

crossover voting

electoral college

the system established by the Constitution through which the president is chosen by electors from each state, which has many electoral votes as it has members of congress

electorate

individuals who are eligible to vote

finance chair

the individual who coordinates the financial business of the campaign

get-out-the-vote-drives

a push at the end of a political campaign to encourage supporters to go to the polls

incumbency

already holding an office

initiative

an election that allows citizens to propose legislation or state constitutional amendments by submitting them to the electorate for popular vote

inoculation ad

advertising that attempts to counteract an anticipated attack from the opposition before the attack is launched

mandate

a command, indicated by an electorate’s votes for the elected officials to carry out a party platform or policy agenda

midterm election

an election that takes place in the middle of a presidential term

negative ad

advertising on behalf of a candidate that attacks the opponent’s character or platform

open primary

a primary election in which party members, independents, and sometimes members of the other party are allowed to participate

pollster

a campaign consultant who conducts public opinion surveys

positive ad

advertising on behalf of a candidate that stresses the candidate’s qualifications, family, and issue positions, with no direct reference to the opponent

presidential coattails

when successful presidential candidates carry into office congressional candidates of the same party in the year of their election

press secretary

the individual charged with interacting and communicating with journalists on a daily basis

primary election

election in which voters decide which of the candidates within a party will represent the party in the general election

proportional representation primary

a voting system that apportions legislative seats according to the percentage of the vote won by a particular political party

reapportionment

the reallocation of the number of seats in the House of Representatives after each decennial census

recall

an election in which voters can remove an incumbent from office prior to the next scheduled election

referendum

an election whereby the state legislature submits proposed legislation or state constitutional amendments to the voters for approval

runoff primary

a second primary election between the two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes in the first primary

voter canvass

the process by which a campaign reaches individual voters, either by door-to-door solicitation or by telephone

501 (c ) group

interest group whose primary purpose is not electoral politics

527 political committee

organization created with the primary purpose of influencing electoral outcomes; the term is typically applied only to freestanding interest groups that do not explicitly advocate for the election of a candidate

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act

passed in 2002, this act amended the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 with several provisions designed to end the use of nonfederal or “soft money” (money raised outside the limits and prohibitions of federal campaign finance law) for activity affecting federal elections

conventional political participation

activism that attempts to influence the political process through commonly accepted forms of persuasion, such as voting or contacting elected officials

federal election campaign act

passed in 1971, this is the primary law that regulates political campaign spending and fundraising. The law originally focused on increased disclosure of contributions for federal campaigns

federal election commission

an independent regulatory agency founded in 1975 by the U.S. Congress to regulate the campaign finance legislation in the United States

frontloading

the tendency of states to choose an early date on the nomination calendar

Help America Vote Act

a federal law passed in 2002 that addresses issues of voting systems and voter access that were identified following the 2000 election. It established minimum election administration standards for states and units of local government with responsibility for the administration of federal elections and for other purposes related to the Act.

Party-line voting

political action committee

officially recognized fund-raising organization that represents interest groups and is allowed by federal law to make contributions directly to candidates’ campaigns

prospective judgement

a voter’s evaluation of a candidate based on what he or she pledges to do about an issue if elected

public funds

donatins from general tax revenues to the campaigns of qualifying presidential candidates

rational choice theory