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
