US Government: Elections, Campaign Finance, and the Media

Vocabulary flashcards covering presidential power, the electoral system, redistricting, incumbency advantages, campaign finance rules, and media influence on elections.

Presidential Pardon

An official act of executive forgiveness granted by the President of the United States that forgives a federal crime and restores certain civil rights.

General Election

A nationwide election held on the first Tuesday of November every $4$ years in even-numbered years for presidential and certain gubernatorial races, with congressional seats contested every $2$ years.

Midterm Election

A nationwide election held on the first Tuesday of November every $2$ years in which all $435$ House seats, approximately $\frac{1}{3}$ of the Senate, and select governorships are contested.

Single-Member District

An electoral district where voters elect a single representative to the U.S. House of Representatives based on a winner-take-all (plurality) system.

Equal Population Mandate

The requirement rooted in the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause ("one person, one vote") establishing that congressional districts must contain roughly $761{,}000$ residents.

Reapportionment

The reallocation of the $435$ seats in the U.S. House of Representatives among states every $10$ years based on population trends recorded by the U.S. Census.

Redistricting

The redrawing of congressional district boundary lines carried out every decade, primarily by state legislatures or independent nonpartisan commissions.

Gerrymandering

The intentional manipulation and drawing of legislative district boundaries to favor a specific political party or group.

Packing

A gerrymandering technique that concentrates opposition voters into a few districts to minimize their political influence across other districts.

Cracking

A gerrymandering technique that disperses opposition voters across multiple districts to dilute their voting power and prevent them from forming a majority.

Electoral College

The constitutional mechanism established by the framers to safeguard presidential selection, in which state electors meet in December to cast official ballots largely on a winner-take-all basis.

Incumbent

A political candidate who currently holds the elective office for which they are running for reelection.

Franking Privilege

The congressional perk allowing sitting representatives and senators to send mail to constituents free of charge for official government business.

Casework

Direct assistance provided by congressional members to resolve specific constituent problems, generating voter goodwill for upcoming campaigns.

Pork-Barrel Spending

Legislation or appropriations secured by an incumbent lawmaker that direct federal funds and public projects back to their home district or state.

Super PAC

An independent expenditure-only committee established under Citizens United v. FEC that can raise and spend unlimited funds to support or oppose candidates, provided it does not coordinate directly with official campaigns.

Federal Election Commission (FEC)

The independent regulatory body with which all federal candidate committees must regularly file campaign finance disclosure reports detailing receipts and expenditures.

Nixon-Kennedy Debate (1960)

The first televised presidential debate on September 26, 1960, illustrating the impact of television as radio listeners believed Nixon won while television viewers felt Kennedy won.