Untitled Flashcards Set

• Critical Elections: Elections that result in a significant change in the political landscape, often realigning political party systems.

• Delegate: A person chosen to represent others at a party convention, especially in the selection of presidential candidates.

• National Convention: A gathering of party delegates to nominate a presidential candidate and adopt the party platform.

• National Party Platform: A document outlining a political party’s goals, policies, and positions on major issues.

• Party Realignment: A shift in party loyalty or dominance, often in response to major political or social changes.

• Superdelegate: A Democratic Party official or leader who has the freedom to support any candidate at the national convention, not bound by primaries.

Chapter 12: Campaign Finance and Voting

• 501(c) Group: A tax-exempt organization that can engage in political activities, but its political activities must not be its primary purpose.

• 527 Political Committees: Organizations that can raise and spend unlimited funds to influence elections, but cannot coordinate directly with candidates.

• Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act: A law that limits the amount of money individuals and groups can contribute to political campaigns.

• Closed Primary: A primary election in which only registered party members can vote to choose their party's candidate.

• Electorate: All eligible voters in an election.

• Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA): A law regulating political campaign donations and expenditures to ensure transparency and fairness.

• Federal Election Commission (FEC): The government agency that enforces federal election laws, including campaign finance regulations.

• Front-loading: The practice of moving a state's primary election date earlier in the election season to increase influence.

• Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV): Efforts made by a political party or campaign to encourage people to vote, especially targeting specific voter groups.

• Independent Expenditures: Money spent by individuals or groups to support or oppose a candidate, without direct coordination with the candidate's campaign.

• Initiative: A process where citizens can propose new laws or amendments to the state constitution.

• McCutcheon v. FEC: A Supreme Court case that struck down limits on the total amount of money individuals can contribute to candidates and political parties.

• Open Primary: A primary election in which voters can choose any party's ballot, regardless of their party affiliation.

• Presidential Coattails: When a popular presidential candidate helps their party's congressional candidates win elections due to their popularity.

• Recall: A process by which voters can remove an elected official from office before their term ends.

• Referendum: A process by which voters can approve or reject laws or policies proposed by the government.

• Runoff Primary: A second primary election held when no candidate wins a majority in the first primary.

• Super PAC: A political action committee that can raise and spend unlimited funds independently of a candidate’s campaign.

Chapter 14: Interest Groups

• Economic Interest Group: A group focused on promoting the economic interests of its members, such as trade associations or labor unions.

• Free Rider Problem: When people benefit from an interest group's efforts without contributing to the group or its goals.

• Interest Group: An organization that seeks to influence public policy and legislation in favor of its interests.

• Lobbying: The act of trying to influence legislators and government officials to support specific policies or interests.

• Pluralist Theory: The idea that political power is distributed among many interest groups, ensuring that no single group dominates.

• Political Action Committee (PAC): A group that raises money and donates it to political campaigns, typically to support candidates who favor their goals.

• Public Interest Group: An organization that works to promote the common good and the welfare of the public, not just its own members.

• Transactions Theory: The theory that political decisions are the result of negotiations or transactions between interest groups and government officials.

Chapter 13: Media and Public Opinion

• Agenda Setting: The process by which the media influences the importance of issues by focusing attention on them.

• Equal Time Rule: A rule that requires broadcast stations to provide equal airtime to political candidates of similar standing.

• Framing: The way the media presents an issue, influencing public perception of that issue.

• Muckraking: The action of journalists or activists exposing corruption, scandal, or unethical behavior.

• Narrowcasting: Broadcasting content targeted at a specific audience, rather than a broad public.

• Press Briefing: A meeting between journalists and public officials where information is provided, typically with brief answers to questions.

• Press Release: A written statement issued by an organization to the media to inform the public about a particular event or announcement.

• Prior Restraint: Government action that prevents the media from publishing certain content before it is made public.

• Right of Rebuttal: A rule allowing individuals to respond to public criticism in the media.

• Yellow Journalism: A style of sensationalized and exaggerated reporting aimed at attracting attention and increasing sales.