Chapters 12-14

political efficacy

The belief that one's political participation really matters - that one's vote can actually make a difference

coattail effect

The boost that candidates may get in an election because of the popularity of candidates above them on the ballot, especially the president.

Fifteenth Amendment

The constitutional amendment adopted in 1870 to extend suffrage to African Americans.

Nineteenth Amendment

The constitutional amendment adopted in 1920 that guarantees women the right to vote.

Twenty-fourth Amendment

The constitutional amendment passed in 1964 that declared poll taxes void in federal elections.

voter apathy

The lack of interest among the citizenry in participating in elections.

civil rights act (1957, 1964)

The law making racial discrimination in hotels, motels, and restaurants illegal and forbidding many forms of job discrimination.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

a law designed to help end formal and informal barriers to African-American suffrage

Referendum

a legislative act is referred for final approval to a popular vote by the electorate

Seventeenth Amendment

1913 constitutional amendment allowing American voters to directly elect US senators

Citizens United v. FEC

A 2010 decision by the United States Supreme Court holding that independent expenditures are free speech protected by the 1st Amendment and so cannot be limited by federal law. Leads to creation of SuperPACs & massive rise in amount of third party electioneering (Citizens for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow)

Super Tuesday

A Tuesday in early March in which many presidential primaries, particularly in the South, are held.

grandfather clause

A clause in registration laws allowing people who do not meet registration requirements to vote if they or their ancestors had voted before 1867.

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.

McGovern-Fraser Commission

A commission formed at the 1968 Democratic convention in response to demands for reform by minority groups and others who sought better representation.

Political Action Committee (PAC)

A committee set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations

Electoral College

A group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president

recall

A measure of memory in which the person must retrieve information learned earlier, as on a fill-in-the-blank test.

Robocalls

A phone call conducted by an auto-dialer and using a recorded voice message system.

Jacksonian Democracy

A policy of spreading more political power to more people. It was a "Common Man" theme.

Democratic Party

A political party formed by supporters of Andrew Jackson after the presidential election of 1824.

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

Initiative

A procedure by which voters can propose a law or a constitutional amendment.

voter registration

A system adopted by the states that requires voters to register well in advance of Election Day. A few states permit Election day registration.

literacy test

A test given to persons to prove they can read and write before being allowed to register to vote

Precinct

A voting district

Democratic-Republicans

An early political party headed by Thomas Jefferson; stood for less centralized government

single-member district

An electoral district in which voters choose one representative or official.

two-party system

An electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in national elections.

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act

Banned soft money donations to political parties (loophole from FECA); also imposed restrictions on 527 independent expenditures (issue ads only, not direct advocacy for a candidate). Declared unconstitutional by Citizens United case. Also known as McCain-Feingold Act.

soft money

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

Twenty-sixth Amendment

Changed the legal voting age from 21 to 18.

gender gap

Difference in political views between men and women

social media

Electronic media that allows people with similar interests to participate in a social network

midterm election

Elections held midway between presidential elections.

independent expenditures

Expenses on behalf of a political message that are made by groups that are uncoordinated with any candidate's campaign.

New Hampshire Primary

First Presidential primary and its winner becomes the media's major attention

Iowa Caucus

First state to hold a caucus or primary, therefore giving Iowa much attention during the campaign season.

swing states

In a presidential race, highly competitive states in which both major party candidates stand a good chance of winning the state's electoral votes.

Help America Vote Act of 2002

Legislation passed in 2002 to aid states in upgrading voting equipment

Superdelegates

National party leaders who automatically get a delegate slot at the Democratic national party convention.

ideological parties

Parties based on a particular set of beliefs, a comprehensive view of social, economic, and political matters

economic protest parties

Parties rooted in poor economic times, lacking a clear ideological base, dissatisfied with current conditions and demanding better times

single-issue parties

Parties that concentrate on only one public policy matter

Whing Party

Party formed by opponents of President Jackson

hard money

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

Republican Party

Political party that believed in the non-expansion of slavery & consisted of Whigs, N. Democrats, & Free-Soilers in defiance to the Slave Powers

invisible primary

The period before any votes are cast when candidates compete to win early support from the elite of the party and to create a positive first impression of their leadership skills.

front-loading

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

Andrew Jackson

The seventh President of the United States (1829-1837), who as a general in the War of 1812 defeated the British at New Orleans (1815). As president he opposed the Bank of America, objected to the right of individual states to nullify disagreeable federal laws, and increased the presidential powers.

party identification

a citizen's self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other

Democratic National Committee

a convention where the democratic delegates from each state nominate the democratic parties Presidential and vice Presidential candidates

Australian ballot

a government-printed ballot of uniform dimensions to be cast in secret that many states adopted around 1890 to reduce voting fraud associated with party-printed ballots cast in public

absentee ballot

a method that allows registered voters to vote when they are away from home

platfrom

a political party's formal statement of basic principles, stands on major issues, and objectives

blanket primary

a primary election in which each voter may vote for candidates from both parties

wards

a room usually holding six or more people

Hill Committees

a term used to refer to the four major party campaign committees involved in congressional elections

super PAC

a type of independent political action committee which may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, and individuals but is not permitted to contribute to or coordinate directly with parties or candidates.

provisional ballots

a vote that is cast but not counted until determination is made that the voter is properly registered

conventions

a way in which something is usually done, especially within a particular area or activity.

issue ads

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

Twenty-Third Amendment

amendment that gives the right of voting to citizens in Washington D.C. and that they get votes in the electoral college

winner-take-all system

an election system in which the candidate with the most votes wins

Dark Ads

are anonymously placed status updates, photos, videos, or links that appear only in the target of the audience's social media news but not the general feeds.

rational-choice voting

assumes that political actors will make decisions based on their own benefit, carefully weighing all choices

voting-age population

citizens who are eligible to vote after reaching the minimum age requirement

voting-eligible population

citizens who have reached the minimum age to be eligible to vote, excluding those who are not legally permitted to cast a ballot

New Deal Coalition

coalition forged by the Democrats who dominated American politics from the 1930's to the 1960's. its basic elements were the urban working class, ethnic groups, Catholics and Jews, the poor, Southerners, African Americans, and intellectuals.

Political Action Committee

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

psycographic segmentation

dividing the market using groups' values, attitudes, and interests

party realignment

dramatic shifts in partisan preferences that drastically alter the political landscape

primary elections

elections held to select a party's candidate for the general election

critical elections

elections that disrupt party coalitions and create new ones in a party realignment

Jeffersonians

favored a weak central government, believed that common men should hold political power, and believed debt should be payed off ASAP

war chest

funds collected by a candidate to spend on a political campaign

Republican National Committee (RNC)

is a U.S. political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy.

Grand Old Party

known as the GOP, another way of identifying the Republican Party

apathy

lack of concern for the election outcome

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

Caucuses

meetings of party leaders to determine party policy or to choose the party's candidates for public office

divided government

one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress

splinter parties

parties that have split away from one of the major parties

Electors

people elected by the voters in a presidential election as members of the electoral college

general elections

regularly scheduled elections at which voters make the final selection of officeholders

poll taxes

required citizens of a state to pay a special tax in order to vote

minor parties

smaller political parties-have little impact on national elections

incumbent advantage phenomenon

the ability to use all the tools of the presidency to support candidacy for a second term

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.

incumbent

the current officeholder

matching money

the federal government will match, dollar for dollar, all individual donations all individual donations of $250 or less.

party dealignment

the gradual disengagement of people and politicians from the parties, as seen in part by shrinking party identification.

Plurarity

the largest number of something, but less than a majority

polling place

the location where voting is carried out

voter turnout

the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election

linkage institutions

the political channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the policy agenda

white primary

the practice of keeping blacks from voting in the southern states' primaries through arbitrary use of registration requirements and intimidation

Franchise

the right to vote

suffrage

the right to vote

National Voter Registration Act

this act passed in 1993 and frequently called the "Motor Vehicle Act" is a piece of legislation that includes a provision that makes it possible to register to vote when applying for or renewing your drivers license.

prospective voting

voting for a candidate because you favor his or her ideas for handling issues

retrospective voting

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

split ticket

voting for candidates of different parties for various offices in the same election