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.