American Government Vocab Chapters 6-10

agent of political socialization

a person that teaches others about politics through use of information

bandwagon effect

increased media coverage of candidates who poll high

Bradley effect

the difference between a poll result and an election result in which voters gave a socially desirable poll response rather than a true response that might be perceived as racist

classical liberalism

political ideology based on belief in individual liberties and rights and the idea of free will, with little role for government

communism

political and economic system in which government promotes common ownership of all property, means of production, and materials to prevent the exploitation of workers while creating an equal society

covert content

ideologically slanted info presented as unbiased info in order to influence public opinion

diffuse support

the widespread belief that a country and its legal system are legit

exit poll

an election poll taken by interviewing voters as they leave a polling place

fascism

a political system of total control by the ruling party or political leader over the economy, the military, society, and culture and often the private lives of citizens

favorability poll

a public opinion poll that measures a public’s positive feelings about a candidate or politician

heuristics

shortcuts or generalizations for decision making

horserace coverage

day-to-day media coverage of candidate performance in the election

leading question

a question worded to lead a respondent to give a desired answer

margin of error

a number that states how far the poll results may be from the actual preferences of the total population of citizens

modern conservatism

political ideology that prioritizes individual liberties, preferring a smaller government that stays out of the economy

modern liberalism

political ideology focused on equality and supporting government intervention in society and the economy if it promotes equality

overt content

political info whose author makes clear that only one side is presented

political culture

the prevailing political attitudes and beliefs within a society or region

political elite

a political opinion leader who alerts the public to changes or problems

political socialization

the process of learning the norms and practices of a political system through others and societal institutions

public opinion

a collection of opinions of an individual or a group of individuals on a topic, person, or event

push poll

politically biased campaign info presented as a poll in order to change minds

random sample

a limited number of people from the overall population selected in such a way that each has an equal chance of being chosen

representative sample

a group of respondents demographically similar to the population of interest

socialism

a political and economic system in which government uses its authority to promote social and economic equality, providing everyone with basic services and equal opportunities and requiring citizens with more wealth to contribute more

straw poll

an informal and unofficial election poll conducted with a non-random population

theory of delegate representation

a theory that assumes the politician is in office to be the voice of the people and to vote only as the people want

traditional conservatism

a political ideology supporting the authority of the monarch and the church in the belief that government provides the rule of law

ballot fatigue

the result when a voter stops voting for offices and initiatives at the bottom of a long ballot

caucus

a form of candidate nomination that occurs in a town-hall style format rather than a day-long election; usually reserved for presidential election

chronic minority

voters who belong to political parties that tend not to be competitive in national elections because they are too small to become a majority or because of the Electoral College system distribution in their state

closed primary

an election in which only voters registered with a party may vote for that party’s candidates

coattail effect

the result when a popular presidential candidate helps candidates from the same party win their own elections

delegates

party members who are chosen to represent a particular candidate at the party’s state-or-national-level nominating convention

district system

the means by which electoral votes are divided between candidates based on who wins districts and/or the state

early voting

an accommodation that allows voting up to two weeks before Election Day

Electoral College

the constitutionally created group of individuals, chosen by the states, with the responsibility of formally selecting the next US president

incumbency advantage

that advantage held by officeholders that allows them to often win reelection

incumbent

the current holder of a political office

initiative 

law or constitutional amendment proposed and passed by the voters and subject to review by the state courts; also called a proposition

midterm elections

the congressional elections that occur in the even-numbered years between presidential election years, in the middle of the president’s term

open primary

an election in which any registered voter may vote in any party’s primary or caucus

platform

the set of issues important to the political party and the party delegates

political action committees (PACs)

organizations created to raise money for political campaigns and spend money to influence policy and politics

recall

the removal of a politician or government official by the voters

referendum

a yes or no vote by citizens on a law or candidate proposed by the state government 

residency requirement

the stipulation that citizen must live in a state for a determined period of time before a citizen can register to vote as a resident of that states

shadow campaign

a campaign run by political action committees and other organizations without the coordination of the candidate

straight-ticket voting 

the practice of voting only for candidates from the same party

super PACs

officially known as Independent Expenditure-Only Committees; organizations that can fundraise and spend as they please to support or attack a candidate but not contribute directly to a candidate or strategize with a candidate’s campaign

top-two primary

a primary election in which the two candidates with the most votes, regardless of party, become the nominees for the general election

voter fatigue

the result when voters grow tired of voting and stay home from the polls

voting-age population

the number of citizens over eighteen

voting-eligible population

the number of citizens eligible to vote

winner-take-all system

all electoral votes for a state are given to the candidate who wins the most votes in that state

agenda setting

the media’s ability to choose which issues or topics get attention

beat

the coverage area assigned to journalists for news stories

citizen journalism 

video and print news posted to the internet or social media by citizens rather than the news media 

cultivation theory

the idea that media affect a citizen’s worldview through the information presented

digital paywall

the need for a paid subscription to access published online material

equal time rule 

an FCC policy that all candidates running for office must be given the same radio and television airtime opportunities 

fairness doctrine

a 1949 FCC policy, now defunct, that required holders of broadcast licenses to cover controversial issues in a balanced manner

framing

the process of giving a news story a specific context or background

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

a federal statute that requires public agencies to provide certain types of information requested by citizens 

hypodermic theory

the idea that info is placed in a citizen’s brain and accepted

Indecency regulations

laws that limit indecent and obscene material on public airwaves

libel 

printed info about a person or organization that is not true and harms the reputation of the person or organization 

mass media

the collection of all media forms that communicate info to the general public

minimal effects theory

the idea that the media have little effect on citizens

muckraking

news coverage focusing on exposing corrupt business and government practices 

party press era

period during the 1780s in which newspaper content was biased by political partisanship

priming

the process of predisposing readers or viewers to think a particular way

prior restraint

a government action that stops someone from doing something before they are able to do it 

public relations

biased communication intended to improve the image of people, companies, or organizations

reporter’s privilege

the right of a journalist to keep a source confidential

slander 

spoken info about a person or organization that is not true and harms the reputation of the person or organization 

soft news

news presented in an entertaining style

sunshine laws

laws that require government documents and proceedings to be made public

yellow journalism 

sensationalized coverage of scandals and human interest stories 

bipartisanship

a process of cooperation through compromise

critical election

an election that represents a sudden, clear, and long-term shift in voter allegiances

divided government 

a condition in which one or more houses of the legislature is controlled by the party in opposition to the executive 

first-past-the-post

a system in which the winner of an election is the candidate who wins the greatest number of votes cast, also known as plurality voting

gerrymandering

the manipulation of legislative districts in an attempt to favor a particular candidate

majoritarian voting 

a type of election in which the winning candidate must receive at least 50 percent of the votes, even if a run-off election is required 

majority party

the legislative party with over half the seats in a legislative body, and thus significant power to control the agenda

minority party

the legislative party with less than half the seats in a legislative body

moderate

an individual who falls in the middle of the ideological spectrum 

party identifiers

individuals who represent themselves in public as being part of a party

party organization

the formal structure of the political party and the active members responsible for coordinating party behavior and supporting party candidates

party platform

the collection of a party’s positions on issues it considers politically important

party polarization

the shift of party positions from moderate towards ideological extremes

party realignment

a shifting of party alliances within the electorate

party-in-government

party identifiers who have been elected to office and are responsible for fulfilling the party’s promises

party-in-the-electorate

members of the voting public who consider themselves part of a political party or who consistently prefer the candidates of one party over the other

personal politics

a political style that focuses on building direct relationships with voters rather than on promoting specific issues

plurality voting

the election rule by which the candidate with the most votes wins, regardless of vote share

political machine 

an organization that secures votes for a party’s candidates or supports the party in other ways, usually in exchange for political favors such as a job in government 

political parties

organizations made up of groups of people with similar interests that try to directly influence public policy through their members who seek and hold public office

precinct

the lowest level of party organization, usually organized around neighborhoods