AP Gov Unit 3
Federal Election Campaign Act
A law passed in 1974 for reforming campaign finances. The act created the Federal Election Commission, provided public financing for presidential primaries and general elections, limited presidential campaign spending, required disclosure, and attempted to limit contributions
Rational-choice theory
A popular theory in political science to explain the actions of voters as well as politicians. It assumes that individuals act in their own best interest, carefully weighing the costs and benefits of possible alternatives
Union shop
A provision found in some collective bargaining agreements requiring all employees of a business to join the union within a short period, usually 30 days, and to remain members as a condition of employment
Talking head
A shot of a person's face talking directly to the camera. Because this is visually unappealing, the major commercial networks rarely show a politician talking one-on-one for very long
Federal Election Commission
A six-member bipartisan agency created by the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974. The FEC administers and enforces campaign finance laws
Political Party
According to Anthony Downs, "a team of men [and women] seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election."
Potential group
All the people who might be interest group members because they share some common interest
Proportional representation
An election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote
Winner-take-all system
An electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who come in first in their constituencies
Proportional representation
An electoral system used throughout most of Europe that awards legislative seats to political parties in proportion to the number of votes won in an election
Matching funds
Contributions of up to $250 are matched from the Presidential Election Campaign Fund to candidates for the presidential nomination who qualify and agree to meet various conditions, such as limiting their overall spending
Electioneering
Direct group involvement in the electoral process. Groups can help fund campaigns, provide testimony, and get members to work for candidates, and some form political action committees (PAC)
Presidential Primaries
Elections in which a state's voters go the polls to express their preference for a party's nominee for president
Open primaries
Elections to select party nominees in which only people who have registered in advance with the party can vote for the party's candidates, thus encouraging greater party loyalty
Closed primaries
Elections to select party nominees in which voters can decided on Election Day whether they want to participate in the Democratic or Republican contests
Lobbying
Engaging in activities aimed at influencing public officials, especially legislators, and the policies they enact
Pork barrel
Federal projects, grants, and contracts available to state and local governments, businesses, colleges, and other institutions in a congressional district
501(c) groups
Groups that are exempted from reporting their contributions and can receive unlimited contributions. Section 501c of the tax code specifies that such groups cannot spend more than half their funds on political activities
Party eras
Historical periods in which a majority of voters cling to the party in power, which tends to win a majority of the elections
527 groups
Independent political groups that are not subject to contribution restrictions because they do not directly seek the election of particular candidates. Section 527 of the tax code specifies that contributions to such groups must be reported to the IRS
Federal Election Campaign Fund
Money from the $3 federal income tax check-off goes into this fund, which is then distributed to qualified candidates to subsidize their presidential campaigns
Superdelegates
National party leaders who automatically get a delegate slot at the Democratic national party convention
Chains
Newspapers published by massive media conglomerates that account for over four-fifths of the nation's daily newspaper circulation. Often control broadcast media as well
Patronage
One of the key inducements used by party machines. A patronage job, promotion, or contract is one that is given for political reasons rather than for merit or competence alone
Soft money
Political contributions earmarked for party-building expenses at the grass-roots level or for generic party advertising. Unlike money that goes to the campaign of a particular candidate, such party donations are not subject to contributions limits. For a time, such contributions were unlimited, until they were banned by the McCain-Feingold Act
Political action committees (PAC's)
Political funding vehicles created by the 1974 campaign finance reforms. A corporation, union, or some other interest groups can create it and register it with the Federal Election Commission, which will meticulously monitor it's expenditures
Sound bites
Short video clips of approximately 10 seconds. Typically, they are all that is shown from a politician's speech on the nightly television news
Three-headed giants
The party in the electorate; The party as an organization;The party in government
Presidential coattails
The situation occurring when voters cast their ballots for congressional candidates of the president's party because they support the president
Coalition government
When two or more parties join together to form a majority in a national legislature. This form of government is quite common in the multiparty systems of Europe
Party identification
a citizen's self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other
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
Coalition government
a government controlled by a temporary alliance of several political parties
Coalition
a group of individuals with a common interest on which every political party depends
Party platform
a political party's statement of its goals and policies for the next four years. The platform is drafted prior to the party convention by a committee whose members are chosen in rough proportion to each candidate's strength. It is the best formal statement of a party's beliefs
High-tech politics
a politics in which the behavior of citizens and policy makers and the political agenda itself are increasingly shaped by technology
Initiative petition
a process permitted in some states whereby voters may put proposed changes in the state law to a vote if sufficient signatures are obtained on petitions
Right-to-work laws
a state law forbidding requirements that workers must join a union to hold their jobs; they were specifically permitted by the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947
Referendum
a state-level method of direct legislation that gives voters a chance to approve or disapprove proposed legislation or a proposed constitutional amendment
Caucus
a system for selecting convention delegates used in about a dozen mostly rural states in which voters must show up at a set time and attend an open meeting to express their presidential preference
Party machines
a type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements, such as patronage, to win votes and to govern
Electoral College
a unique American institution, created by the Constitution, providing for the selection of the president by electors
Responsible party model
a view favored by some political scientists about how parties should work. According to the model, parties should offer clear choices to the voters, who can then use those choices as cues to their own preferences of candidates. Once in office, parties would carry out their campaign promises
Public interest lobbies
according to Jeffrey Berry, organizations that seek "a collective good, the achievement of which will not selectively and materially benefit the membership or activities of the organization."
Casework
activities of members of Congress that help constituents as individuals, particularly by cutting through bureaucratic red tape to get people what they thing they have a right to get
Winner-take-all system
an election system in which the candidate with the most votes wins all the electoral votes
Critical election
an electoral "earthquake" where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displace by the minority party. Critical election periods are sometimes marked by a national crisis and may require more than one election to bring about a new party era
Trial balloons
an intentional news leak for the purpose of assessing the political reaction
Third parties
electoral contenders other than the two major parties
Media events
events purposely staged for the media that nonetheless look spontaneous
Blue Dog Democrats
fiscally conservative democrats who are mostly from the south and/or rural parts of the united states
Interest groups
groups of people who work together for similar interests or goals
Single-issue groups
groups that have a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics
Narrowcasting
media programming on cable TV or the Internet that is focused on one topic and aimed at a particular audience. Examples include MTV, ESPN, and C-SPAN
Broadcasting
media programming sent out to a broad audience. Examples include ABC, NBC, and CBS
Print media
newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and books
National committee
one of the institutions that keeps the party operating between conventions. The national committee is composed of representatives from the states and territories
Electronic media
radio, television, and the internet
National chairperson
responsible for the day-to-day activities of the party, hires staff, raises the money, pays the bills
Press conferences
scheduled meetings between reporters and political figures like the president, which give the press access to the official and an opportunity to ask him or her questions firsthand
Collective good
something of value (money, a tax write-off, prestige, clean air, and so on) that cannot be withheld from a group member
Beats
specific locations from which news frequently emanates, such as Congress or the White House
Selective benefits
specific private goods that an organization provides only to its contributing members
Mass media
television, radio, newspapers, magazines, the Internet, and other means of popular communication
Party Competition
the battle of the parties for control of public offices
Linkage institutions
the channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda. In the US, linkage institutions include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media
Party realignment
the displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period
Campaign strategy
the master game plan candidates lay out to guide their electoral campaign
National convention
the meeting of party delegates every four years to choose a presidential ticket and write the party's platform
Nomination
the official endorsement of a candidate for office by a political party
Actual group
the part of the potential group consisting of members who actually join
Selective perception
the phenomenon that people's beliefs often guide what they pay the most attention to and how they interpret events
Free-rider problem
the problem faced by interest groups when citizens can reap the benefits of interest group action without actually joining, participating in, or contributing money to such groups
Frontloading
the recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media attention
Investigative journalism
the use of in depth reporting to unearth scandals, scams and schemes which at times puts the reporters in adversarial relationships with political leaders
Direct mail
the use of targeted mailings to prospective supporters, usually compiled from lists of those who have contributed to candidates and parties in the past
Incumbents
those already holding office
Legitimacy
undisputed credibility
Party image
voter's perception of what the Republicans or Democrats stand for, such as conservatism or liberalism
Ticket splitting
voting with one party for one office and with another party for other offices. It has become the norm in American voting behavior
