Chapter 16 Ap Government

Political party: an organized group of party leaders, officeholders, and voters who work together to elect candidates to political office.

Party Identification: a degree to which a voter is connected to and influenced by a particular political party.

Straight-Ticket Voting: voting for all of the candidates on the ballot from one political party.

Split-Ticket Voting: voting for candidates from different parties in the same election.

Party Platform: a set of positions and policy objectives that members of a political party agree to.

Recruitment: the process through which political parties identify potential candidates.

Party Coalition: groups of voters who support a political party over time.

Realignment: when the groups of people who support a political party shift there allegiance to a different political party.

Critical election: a major national election that signals a change in the balance of power between the two parties.

 Party era: a time period when one party wins most national elections.

Era of divided government: when one party controls one or more houses of congress and the president is from the opposing party.

Nomination: the formal process through which parties choose their candidates for political office.

Delegate: a person who acts as the voter’s representative at the convention to select the parties nominee.

Primary election: an election in which a states voters choose delegates who support