AP GOV REVIEW: Interest Groups, Political Parties and Elections

Linkage Institutions

The channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda. In the United States, linkage institutions include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.

Party Identification

A citizen's self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other. It is more important on the local than federal level.

Caucuses

A closed meeting of a political or legislative group to choose candidates for office or to decide issues of policy.

Federal Election Commission

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

Economic Interest Groups

A group with the primary purpose of promoting the financial interests of its members. (ex. business, labor unions, farmers)

Convention

A meeting of party delegates to vote on matters of policy and in some cases to select party candidates for public office.

Open Primary

A primary election in which voters may choose in which party to vote as they enter the polling place.

Closed Primary

A primary in which only registered members of a particular political party can vote.

Dealignment

A process whereby voters are moved toward nonpartisanship thus weakening the structure of political parties

Winner-take-all

An electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who come in first in their constituencies. In American presidential elections, the system in which the winner of the popular vote in a state receives all the electoral votes of that state.

Two-Party System

An electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in national elections. They evolved from Federalists and Anti-Federalists.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

An interracial U.S. organization working for political and civil equality of black people. Founded by W.E.B Du Bois in 1910.

American Association of Retired Persons

An organization of retirement-age persons (aged 50 or over) devoted to informing its members of all rights and benefits to which they are entitled.

Soft Money

Campaign contributions unregulated by federal or state law, usually given to parties and party committees to help fund general party activities.

Political Action Committees

Committee formed by a special-interest group to raise money for their favorite political candidates

Primaries

Election in which voters choose the candidates from each party who will run in the General Election

Third Parties

Electoral contenders other than the two major parties. American third parties are not unusual, but they rarely win elections. They have historically served as innovators and stimulators of ideas and reforms only to have them "stolen" by the major parties.

National Organization for Women

Founded in 1966, the National Organization for Women (NOW) called for equal employment opportunity and equal pay for women. NOW also championed the legalization of abortion and passage of an equal rights amendment to the Constitution.

Single Issue Groups

Groups that have a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics. (ex. gun control)

Campaign Finance Reform

Legislation aimed at placing limits on political candidates accepting money and gifts from individuals and special interest groups. (ex. federal election campaign act of 1971).

Single Issue Districts

Make it difficult for third parties to win seats in Congress.

National Rifle Association

Organization which lists as its goals the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship. Powerful Lobby

Hard Money

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

Straight Ticket voting

Practice of voting for candidates of only one party in an election

Lobbyists

Representatives of interest groups who contact lawmakers or other government officials directly to influence their policy making.

American Medical Association

The AMA is a federation of state and territorial medical associations. The AMA seeks to promote the art and science of medicine, the medical profession, and the betterment of public health.

National Association of Manufacturers

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is an advocacy group headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, with 10 additional offices across the country. It is the nation's largest industrial trade association, representing 11,000 small and large manufacturing companies in every industrial sector and in all 50 states.

Party Realignment

The displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period.

Frontloading

The recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media attention

Methods of National Interest Groups to influence the Congress and the public

They lobby government by hire representatives to advocate on behalf of the group's interests. They Engage in election activities. Interests may attempt to influence elections in order to help get people who support their issues elected or reelected. Electioneering techniques include giving money to candidates, endorsing candidates or issues, and conducting grassroots activities such as get-out-the-vote drives.Interest groups work hard to educate the public at large, government officials, their own members, and potential interest group members. They also mobilize various publics.

Split-ticket voting

Voting for candidates of different parties for different offices at the same election