Political Parties & Suffrage

incumbent

1. (n.) one who holds an office (The incumbent senator is already serving his fifth term.) 2. (adj.) obligatory (It is incumbent upon this organization to offer aid to all who seek it.)

multi party system

A system in which multiple political parties have the capacity to gain control of government offices, separately or in coalition. Most popular in European legislatures. In Germany, there is the Christian democratic Union, the Christian Social Union, The Social Democratic Party Free Democratic Party, Green Party, the Left Party, the Pirate Party and they all have a presence in their Parliament.

electorate

All of the people entitled to vote in a given election

labor Union member

Of the following groups that have traditionally supported the Democratic Party, which would LEAST likely be cited by someone arguing that the Democrats represented only liberal constituencies?

suffrage

The right to vote in political elections

splinter party

a small organization, typically a political party, that has broken away from a larger one.

superPac

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

Business owners

an older more conservative group that tends to support Republicans

Urban dwellers

city individuals who tend to be represented by a more diverse background of people who tend to vote Democratic. Houston, Austin and Dallas proper vote Democratic but the suburbs tend to more conservative.

ideological party

hold major programmatic goals of commitment and are deeply committed to full implementation of these goals, like the Green Party

moderates

persons who do not hold extreme political views and are the "swing" voters

rural residents

rural or country individuals tend to vote on a more traditional platform that is Republican or libertarian...with exceptions. Examples are Iowa, much of the South.

bipartisan

supported by two political parties

ballot

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