Gov. Ch. 12

Platform

The party's stand on important issues and the party's general principles. A campaign informs the public about each party's platform.

Focus Group

A small gathering of people whose response to something (like issues or a candidate) is studied and used to predict the response of a larger population. Campaigns use them to identify important issues and shape their message.

Swing States

States where support for each candidate is about equal. These states may experience intense campaigning because they are seen as "up for grabs" by any candidate.

Stump Speech

A standard speech that a candidate gives repeatedly during the campaign, sharing his or her views on basic issues.

Negative Campaigning

Attacking the opponent during a campaign, often focusing on the opponent's weaknesses rather than the candidate's own platform.

Sound Bite

A very brief segment of a speech or statement, often from a candidate, that is broadcast on television news and can greatly influence public opinion.

Demographic

A population group defined by a specific characteristic or set of characteristics (e.g., age, race, income level). Campaigns may target specific demographics they believe might support the candidate.

Federal Election Commission (FEC)

An independent regulatory agency created by the 1974 amendments to the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) to enforce campaign finance laws and administer the public-funding program for presidential elections.

Party-Building Activities

Activities funded by political parties that do not support specific candidates but promote the party generally. Examples include voter registration drives, party bumper stickers, and television ads supporting the party's principles. The 1979 FECA amendments allowed parties to spend unlimited sums on these.

Issue Ads

Advertisements that support or oppose candidates' views on issues without specifically calling for their election or defeat. Both major political parties use soft money to make these.

Leadership PACs

Political action committees formed by officeholders that are separate from their campaign organizations. They take advantage of loopholes in campaign finance law, allowing them to raise unlimited sums of money, which can then be donated to other candidates' campaigns.

527 Groups

Tax-exempt organizations created to influence an election, named after a section of the U.S. tax code. They try to influence voters' opinions about candidates or issues without directly calling for a candidate's election or defeat. Those that operate independently of candidates or parties can raise and spend unlimited sums of money, often without disclosing contributors to the FEC.

Soft Money

Campaign contributions that are not given directly to specific candidates and are therefore not regulated by the FEC (prior to BCRA). There was no limit to the amount of soft money a donor could contribute, often used for party-building activities and issue ads.

Stand By Your Ad Disclaimer

A provision of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) requiring that media advertisements include a visual or oral message identifying who is paying for the ad. For candidate ads, it also requires the candidate to appear and state their approval of the message (e.g., "I'm [candidate's name], and I approve this message.").

Poll Workers

Individuals hired by local election officials to manage voting on election day. Their responsibilities include verifying voters' identification, comparing names to voter rolls, handing out ballots, and assisting voters.

Poll Watchers

Mostly volunteers that a party or candidate sends to polling places to ensure that the election there is run fairly. They may also check lists of registered voters to identify those who haven't voted yet.

Redistricting

The process of drawing new boundaries for legislative districts, typically required after reapportionment (the redistribution of seats in a legislative body based on census results).

Gerrymandering

The practice of drawing legislative district boundaries in a way that favors one political party over another, often by concentrating the opposing party's voters in a few districts or spreading them thinly across many districts.

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)

Passed in 2002, this act (also known as McCain-Feingold) banned soft-money contributions to political parties for advertising and limited the ability of interest groups to air issue ads of their own. It also introduced the "stand-by-your-ad" disclaimer.

Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA)

Originally passed in 1971 and amended several times (notably in 1974, 1976, and 1979), this act established the basic framework for campaign finance regulation in the United States. It requires disclosure of contributions, set limits on contributions (though some were later modified or overturned), created the system of public funding for presidential elections, and established the FEC.

Voting Rights Act

(Referred to in the context of redistricting) This landmark civil rights legislation, originally passed in 1965, prohibits the drawing of legislative districts that lessen the voting strength of minorities.