Hi-Q Government

candidate appeal

How people feel about the candidate's personnel and professional qualities

Voting Rights Act of 1965

made the 15th amendment, at long last, a truly effective part of the constitution

preclearance

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

Civil Rights Act of 1964

forbids the use of any voter registration or literacy requirement in an unfair or discriminatory manner

Soft Money

funds given to party organizations for such "party-building activities" as candidate recruitment, voter registration, and get-out-the-vote drives, and similar efforts.

19th amendment

gave women the right to vote. in 1920

gender gap

measureable differences between the partisan choices of men and women today.

Hard Money

money raised and spent on elect candidates for congress and the white house

injunction

court order that either compels (forces) or restrains (limits) the performance of some act by a private individual or by a public official

incumbent

current officeholder

off-year elections

in the congressional elections held in the even-numbered years, between presidential elections.

party identification

An informal and subjective affiliation with a political party, that most people acquire in childhood

Election day

most states hold their election day on same date Congress has set for national elections: in November of every even-numbered year. "Tuesday-after-the-first-Monday

Coattail Effect

occurs when a strong candidate running for an office at the top of the ballot helps attract voters to other candidates on the party's ticket

open primary

party's nominating election in which any qualified voter can cast a ballot

closed primary

party's nominating election in which only declared party members can vote.

transient

person living in the state for only a short time

Latency

political opinions that are held but not expressed

Political Socialization

process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinions

Absentee voting

process by which they could vote without actually going to their polling places on election day

15th amendment

prohibits the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's "race, color, or previous condition of servitude

purge

state law directs local election officials to review the lists of registered voters and to remove the names of those who are no longer eligible to vote

bipartisan

supported by two parties

independents

term used to identify those people who have no party affiliation

Ballot

the device by which a voter registers a choice in an election

universe

the groups of people whose preferences we try to measure by taking a sample; also called population

Political efficacy

the lack of any feeling of influence or effectiveness in politics

party identification

the loyalty of people to a particular political party

poll books

the official lists of qualified voters in each precinct

Party in power

the party that controls the executive branch -i.e. the presidency at the national level, or the governorship at the state level

electorate

the people eligible to vote

Polling place

the place where the voters who live in a precinct actually vote

Political Action Committee (PAC's)

the political arms of special-interest and other organizations with a stake in electoral politics

gerrymandering

the practice of drawing electoral district lines in order to limit one voting strength of a particular group or activity

straight-ticket voting

the practice of voting for candidates of only one party in an election

split-ticket voting

the practice of voting for the candidates of more than one party in an election.

precinct

the smallest unit of election administration or a voting district

Partisanship

the strong support of their party and its policy stands

Major Parties

the two __________ are the Republican and Democratic parties

voter apathy

used to describe a perceived "lack of caring" in voters

Public opinion

views prevalent among the general public.

Jim Crow laws

were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States

manifest option

A widely shared and consciously held view, such as support for abortion rights or homeland security

salience

An individual's belief that an issue is important or relevant to him or her

intensity

A measure of how strongly an individual holds a particular opinion

Voter registration

A system designed to reduce voter fraud by limiting voting to those who have established eligibility to vote by submitting the proper documents, including proof of residency

midterm election

Midterm elections in the United States refer to general elections in the United States that are held two years after the quadrennial (four-year) elections for the President of the United States

poll taxes

Tax required to vote; prohibited for national elections by the 24th amendment and ruled unconstitutional for all elections

selective exposure

The process by which individuals screen out messages that do not conform to their own biases

Turnout

The proportion of the voting age public that votes, sometimes defined as the number of registered voters that vote

26th amendment

The right of citizens of the United States, who are 18 years of age or older, to vote, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of age. SECTION 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Suffrage

The right to vote.

retrospective issue voting

Voting based on what a candidate did while in office

prospective issue voting

Voting based on what a candidate pledges to do in the future about an issue if elected

Grandfather clauses

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

Subsidy

a grant of money, usually from a government

Political Party

a group of persons who seek to control government through the winning of elections and the holding of public office.

two-party system

a political system dominated by two major parties

primary election

a preliminary election to appoint delegates to a party conference or to select the candidates for a principal, especially presidential, election

registration

a procedure of voters identification intended to prevent fraudulent voting

General election

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

poll tax

a special tax demanded by states as a condition for voting

Random sample

a subset of a statistical population in which each member of the subset has an equal probability of being chosen.

24th amendment

abolished the poll tax for all federal elections. A poll tax was a tax of anywhere from one to a few dollars that had to be paid annually by each voter in order to be able to cast a vote.

Margin of error

an amount (usually small) that is allowed for in case of miscalculation or change of circumstances.

literacy tests

an examination to determine whether a person meets the literacy requirements for voting, serving in the armed forces,

political participation

any activity that shapes, affects, or involves the political sphere. It ranges from voting to attending a rally to committing an act of terrorism to sending a letter to a representative.