Unit 3

party chairperson

The chairman of the national committee of the political party who usually acts as the head of the party's permanent organization and has general direction of party strategy especially during election campaigns.

recall

The ability for voters to remove an elected official from office through a direct vote. If over half the voters vote to recall the official they will be out of office.

winner-take-all

The candidate that wins the majority of the popular vote in a given state will receive all of the state's electoral votes.

closed primary

"A type of direct primary limited to registered party members, who must declare their party affiliation in order to vote. The closed primary serves to encourage party unity and prevent members of other parties from infiltrating and voting to nominate weak candidates.

grandfather clause

"a clause exempting certain classes of people or things from the requirements of a piece of legislation affecting their previous rights, privileges, or practices.

soft money

"a contribution to a political party that is not accounted as going to a particular candidate, thus avoiding various legal limitations.

open primary

"a primary election in which voters are not required to declare party affiliation.

preclearance

"mandated by the voting rights act of 1965, the prior approval by the justice department of changes to or new election laws by certain states

platform

"the declared policy of a political party or group.

white primary

"the practice of keeping African-Americans from voting in the southern states' primaries through arbitrary use of registration requirements and intimidation

Civil Rights Act

1964; banned discrimination in public acomodations, prohibited discrimination in any federally assisted program, outlawed discrimination in most employment; enlarged federal powers to protect voting rights and to speed school desegregation; this and the voting rights act helped to give African-Americans equality on paper, and more federally-protected power so that social equality was a more realistic goal

Super Tuesday

A Tuesday in February or March of an election year when most states hold their primaries

political efficacy

A belief that one has an obligation to participate in civic and political affairs.

Federal Election Commission (FEC)

A commission created by the 1974 amendments to the Federal Election Campaign Act to administer election reform laws. It consists of six commissioners appointed by president and confirmed by the Senate. Its duties include overseeing disclosure of campaign finance information and public funding of presidential elections, and enforcing contribution limits.

wards

A local authority area used for election purposes.

war chest

A reserve of money that is used for war

blanket primary

A system used to select the primary election candidates

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) (2002)

Also known as the McCain-Feingold law, banned soft money contributions to the national parties, increased the limits on hard money donations to $2,000 from individuals, $5,000 from PACs, and $25,000 from the national parties per election cycle

caucuses

a meeting at which local members of a political party register their preference among candidates running for office

independent expenditures

An independent expenditure is an expenditure for a communication that: Expressly advocates the election or defeat of a clearly identified federal candidate; and Is not coordinated with a candidate, candidate's committee, party committee or their agents.

superdelegates

An unelected delegate who is free to support any candidate for the presidential election at the party's national convention.

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson was an American soldier and statesman who served as the seventh President of the United States from 1829 to 1837.

voting-age population

Anyone above the age of 18 and a non-fellon

Iowa caucuses

Electoral events where members of the republican and Democratic Party meet in the state of Iowa to select delegates for the party's nominees.

15th Amendment

Citizens cannot be denied the right to vote because of race, color , or precious condition of servitude

dark ads

Dark advertising is a type of online advertising visible only to the advert's publisher and the intended target group.

front-loading

Decision to move a primary date to the beginning which increases their influence on the nomination process.

17th Amendment

Established the direct election of senators (instead of being chosen by state legislatures)

New Hampshire primary

Follows Iowa on the primary schedule. Candidates travel all over the state and hold town forums, and they campaign everyehere from grocery stores to the streets.

23rd Amendment

Gives residents of Washington DC the right to vote for representatives in the Electoral College.

Help America Vote Act (2002)

Imposes requirements on states to create national standards for voting and election mangement

voting blocs

Noticable patterns within a group

voter apathy

Lack of interest in the outcome/candidates of an election.

Super PAC

New organization after rulings of Citizens united v FEC and McCutcheon v FEC that is allowed to collect unlimited funds from a variety of sources as long as the money doesn' (t directly go to a candidate's election campaign or political party

primary election

Nominating election held to choose party candidates who will run in the general election

National Voter Registration Act (motor-voter law) (1993)

Passed by Congress to enforce voter registration by allowing citizens to register at motor vehicle departments.

hard money

Political contributions given to a party, candidate, or interest group that are limited in amounts and fully disclosed

19th Amendment

Prohibits denying anyone the right to vote because of their gender.

rational=choice voting

Rational choice theory is an economic principle that assumes that individuals always make prudent and logical decisions that provide them with the highest amount of personal utility

26th Amendment

States that citizens 18yrs and older have the right to vote

linkage institutions

Structure that connects the people to the government or centralized authority. Some examples can be elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.

Democratic National Convention (DNC)

The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party.

voter turnout

The percentage of eligible voters who actually cast a ballot in the election

McGovern-Fraser Commission

Was created because the Democratic national convention of 1968 left the party in disarray and was unable to support its nominee and was overall divided.

incumbent advantage phenomenon

When sitting representative have a greater chance of being reelected than a challenger

absentee ballot

a ballot completed and typically mailed in advance of an election by a voter who is unable to be present at the polls.

Electoral College

a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president.

polling place

a building where voting takes place during an election, typically one that normally has another function, such as a school

precincts

a district of a city or town as defined for police purposes

Republican National Committee (RNC)

a hierarchy of employees and complex netwrok dedicated to furthering party goals

Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

a landmark U.S. constitutional law, campaign finance, and corporate law case dealing with regulation of political campaign spending by organizations.

Voting Rights Act (1965)

a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting

electors

a person who has the right to vote in an election.

initiative

a process that enables citizens to bypass their state legislature by placing proposed statutes and, in some states, constitutional amendments on the ballot.

provisional ballots

a provisional ballot is used to record a vote when there are questions about a given voter's eligibility that must be resolved before the vote can count.

general election

a regular election of candidates for office, as opposed to a primary election.

poll tax

a tax of a fixed amount per person levied on adults and often linked to the right to vote

Australian ballot

a voting method in which a voter's choices in an election or a referendum are anonymous, forestalling attempts to influence the voter by intimidation, blackmailing, and potential vote buying.

issue ads

ads that focus on issues and do not explicitly encourage citizens to vote for a certain candidate

electorate

all the people in a country or area who are entitled to vote in an election.

25th Amendment

allows for the Vice President to become president in the event of death, resignation, removal from office or impairment that prevents the current president from fulfilling his or her duties.

conventions

an assembly of the delegates of a political party to select candidates for office.

franchise

an authorization granted by a government or company to an individual or group enabling them to carry out specified commercial activities, e.g., providing a broadcasting service or acting as an agent for a company's products; or the right to vote

referendum

an election device in which a law can be either accepted or repealed based on the popular vote of people.

political action committees (PACs)

an organization that raises money privately to influence elections or legislation, especially at the federal level.

literacy test

determines the qualification of a voter based on his/her his ability to read and write or ability to read and understand any section of the State or Federal Constitution. Structural barrier to African American suffrage

matching money

donations to the presidential campaign from the federal government that are determined by the amount of private funds a qualifying candidate raises

Buckley v. Valeo (1976)

is a U.S. constitutional law Supreme Court case on campaign finance. A majority of judges held that limits on election spending in the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 §608 are unconstitutional

party identification

is affiliation with a political party. Party identification is typically determined by the political party that an individual most commonly supports

apathy

lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern

incumbent

one already holgin the office and seeking another term

voting-eligible population

phrase I coined to describe the populationthat is eligible to vote.

split ticket

picking Republicans in some races and Democrats in others

Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA)

primary United States federal law regulating political campaign spending and fundraising. The law originally focused on increased disclosure of contributions for federal campaigns.

voter registration

requirment for citizens to vote. Enables gov't to prepare for an election, verify voter qualitifcations, and assign a voter to only one polling place to prevent repeat voting.Varies slightly between states but generally, voter must be 18+ years, a US citizen, and a resident

coattail effect

tendency for a popular political party leader to attract votes for other candidates of the same party in an election

gender gap

the discrepancy in opportunities, status, attitudes, etc., between men and women.

midterm elections

the general elections held in November every two years, near the midpoint of a president's four-year term of office

plurality

the number of votes cast for a candidate who receives more than any other but does not receive an absolute majority.

invisible primary

the period between when a candidate announces their campaign and when the actual primaries take place; candidates generally use this period to raise money and garner support

suffrage

the right to vote in political elections

prospective voting

the theory of democratic elections in which voters decide what the government will do in the near future by choosing a certain political party with distinct stances on issues

retrospective voting

voting for a candidate because you like his or her past actions in office