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Flashcards in Chapter 14 Deck (30)
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1
Q

Front-loading

A

the process of scheduling presidential primaries early in the primary season

2
Q

Government matching funds

A

money given by the federal government to qualified presidential candidates in the primary and general election campaigns

3
Q

Invisible primary

A

early attempts to raises money, line up campaign consultants, generate media attention, and get commitments for support even before candidates announce they are running

4
Q

Issue ownership

A

the tendency of one party to be seen as more competent in a specific policy area

5
Q

Motor Voter bill

A

legislation allowing citizens to register to vote at the same time they apply for a driver’s license or other state benefit

6
Q

Opposition research

A

investigation of an opponent’s background for the purpose of exploiting weaknesses or undermining credibility

7
Q

Political efficacy

A

citizens’ feelings of effectiveness in political affairs

8
Q

Presidential primary

A

an election by which voters choose convention delegates committed to voting for a certain candidate

9
Q

Social connectedness

A

citizens’ involvement in groups and their relationships to their communities and families

10
Q

Valence issues

A

issues on which most voters and candidates share the same position

11
Q

Wedge issue

A

a controversial issue that one party uses to split the voters in the other party

12
Q

Citizens United

A

Citizens United is a conservative non-profit organization; mission is to restore the United States government to “citizens’ control”

13
Q

Electoral College

A

a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president.

14
Q

McCutcheon v. FEC

A

a landmark campaign finance case before the United States Supreme Court challenging the Federal Election Campaign Act

15
Q

Electoral mandate

A

the perception that an election victory signals broad support for the winner’s proposed policies

16
Q

GOTV drives

A

efforts by political parties, interest groups, and the candidate’s staff to maximize voter turnout among supporters

17
Q

Hard money

A

campaign funds donated directly to candidates; amounts are limited by federal election laws

18
Q

Soft money

A

unregulated campaign contributions by individuals, groups, or parties that promote general election activities but do not directly support individual candidates

19
Q

Issue advocacy ads

A

advertisements paid for by soft money, and thus not regulated, that promote certain issue positions but do not endorse specific candidates

20
Q

Momentum

A

the widely held public perception that a candidate is gaining electoral strength

21
Q

Negative ads

A

campaign advertising that emphasizes the negative characteristics of opponents rather than one’s own strengths

22
Q

Party caucus

A

local gathering of party members to choose convention delegates

23
Q

Position issues

A

issues on which the parties differ in their perspectives and proposed solutions

24
Q

Prospective voting

A

basing voting decisions on well-informed opinions and consideration of the future consequences of a given vote

25
Q

Retrospective voting

A

basing voting decisions on reactions to past performance; approving the status quo or a desire for change

26
Q

Swing voters

A

the approximately one-third of the electorate who are undecided at the start of a campaign

27
Q

Voter mobilization

A

a party’s efforts to inform potential voters about issues and candidates and to persuade them to vote

28
Q

McCain-Feingold Act

A

Stops political parties from raising and spending unregulated funds

29
Q

Buckley v. Valeo

A

Buckley won the right to spend as much as his own money that he wants on his campaign; spending money to influence elections is a form of free speech

30
Q

Faithless electors

A

a member of the United States Electoral College who does not vote for the presidential or vice presidential candidate for whom he or she had pledged to vote; They may vote for another candidate or not vote at all.