Political Campaigns and Elections Vocabulary

Political Efficacy

  • Definition: The belief that citizens can understand and influence government and political affairs.

501(c) Group

  • Description: Interest groups whose primary purpose is not electoral politics.

Key Political Figures

  • Barack Obama: 44th president of the United States (2009-2017), first African American president, Democrat, senator from Illinois (1997-2004).
  • Bernie Sanders: Longest-serving independent in U.S. Congress, senator from Vermont since 2007, first elected to the House in 1991, candidate in the 2016 Democratic primary against Hillary Clinton.
  • Donald J. Trump: 45th president (elected 2016) and a Republican; notable for being elected without prior political or military experience.
  • Hillary R. Clinton: First female major party candidate for president (2016), former Secretary of State and New York senator.

Campaign Finance and Elections

  • Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA): Enacted in 2002, amended the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) to prohibit “soft money” in federal elections.
  • Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA): Established rules for political campaign spending and fundraising since 1971.
  • Federal Election Commission (FEC): Independent regulatory agency formed in 1975 to oversee campaign finance legislation.
  • Citizens United v. FEC: 2010 Supreme Court ruling allowing corporations and unions to spend freely in campaigns.
  • McCutcheon v. FEC: 2014 ruling that eliminated limits on total contributions individuals can make across all candidates.
  • Help America Vote Act (HAVA): Law passed in 2002 to improve voting systems and voter access in response to the 2000 election.
  • Matching Funds: Donations to presidential campaigns matched by federal treasury for individual contributions below $251.

Types of Elections

  • General Election: Where voters choose candidates for public office.
  • Primary Election: Determines which candidates will represent a party in the general election.
    • Closed Primary: Only registered party members can vote.
    • Open Primary: Independents and members of other parties can participate.
    • Crossover Voting: Voting in a primary of a party not affiliated with.
  • Mid-Term Election: Elections in the middle of a presidential term.
  • Runoff Primary: A second primary between the top two candidates from the first primary.
  • Recall Election: Allows voters to remove an incumbent from office before the next scheduled election.

Campaign Strategies and Roles

  • Campaign Consultant: Professional who sells strategies to candidates.
  • Campaign Manager: Coordinates all aspects of a campaign.
  • Communications Director: Develops the campaign’s media strategy.
  • Finance Chair: Oversees the campaign's financial operations.
  • Pollster: Conducts public opinion surveys for the campaign.

Advertising in Campaigns

  • Positive Ads: Highlight a candidate's qualities and issues without attacking opponents.
  • Negative Ads: Attack the opponent’s character or platform.
  • Inoculation Ads: Preemptively counter expected attacks from opponents.
  • Contrast Ads: Compare candidates' records with bias towards the sponsor.

Voter Concepts

  • Electorate: Citizens eligible to vote.
  • Turnout: Proportion of voting-age individuals who vote.
  • Prospective Judgement: Evaluating a candidate based on future promises.
  • Retrospective Judgement: Evaluating a candidate based on their past performance.
  • Consensus Candidate: Gathers broad support across political groups.

Political Engagement

  • Conventional Political Participation: Sought through accepted forms like voting and letter writing.
  • Unconventional Political Participation: Involves protests, boycotts, etc.
  • Voter Canvass: Reaching out to voters through direct solicitation.

Mass Media and its Role

  • Mass Media: The organizations through which information is disseminated to the public.
  • Narrowcasting: Targeting media to specific populations.
  • Framing: How issues are presented affects public perception.
  • Muckraking: Investigative journalism exposing misconduct.
  • Yellow Journalism: Sensationalized news coverage prevalent in the 19th century.

Media Regulations

  • Equal Time Rule: Requires equal advertising time for candidates.
  • Right of Rebuttal: Allows individuals to respond to media attacks.
  • Prior Restraint: Constitutional doctrine barring pre-publication censorship of speech.