Political Parties/ Interest Groups/ Elections

Question 1

Balancing the ticket

Answer 1

occurs when a presidential nominee chooses a vice presidential running mate who has different qualities in order to attract more votes for the ticket.

Question 2

Blanket primary

Answer 2

election to choose candidates that is open to independents, and that allows voters to choose candidates from all the parties.

Question 3

Caucus

Answer 3

local party meeting

Question 4

Closed Primary

Answer 4

party election to choose candidates that is closed to independents. Voters may not cross party lines

Question 5

Coattail Effect

Answer 5

the influence of a popular presidential candidate on the election of congressional candidates of the same party.

Question 6

Dealignment

Answer 6

People turn away from the major political parties

Question 7

Divided Government

Answer 7

government in which one party controls the presidency while another party controls the Congress.

Question 8

Direct Election

Answer 8

election of an official directly by the people rather than by an intermediary group such as the Electoral College.

Question 9

Direct Primary

Answer 9

election in which the people choose candidates for office.

Question 10

Fixed terms

Answer 10

terms of office that have a definite length of time, e.g., two years for a member of the House.

Question 11

Free Rider Problem

Answer 11

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.

Question 12

Front Loading

Answer 12

scheduling presidential primary elections early (e.g., February or March) in an election year.

Question 13

General Election

Answer 13

election in which the officeholders are chosen

Question 14

Gridlock

Answer 14

opposing parties block each others proposals

Question 15

Hard Money

Answer 15

campaign contributions donated directly to candidates.

Question 16

Horse Race Coverage

Answer 16

the tendency of the media to report on an election campaign as if it were a horse race, i.e., who is ahead, who is behind, who is gaining ground.

Question 17

Incumbent

Answer 17

an officeholder who is seeking reelection.

Question 18

Issue Advocacy Ads

Answer 18

ads that focus on issues and do not explicitly encourage citizens to vote for a certain candidate.

Question 19

Litigation

Answer 19

the act or process of carrying out a lawsuit.

Question 20

Lobbying

Answer 20

attempting to influence policy makers

Question 21

Nonpartisan elections

Answer 21

elections in which candidates are not identified by party membership on the ballot.

Question 22

Open Primary

Answer 22

election to choose candidates that is open to independents, and in which voters may choose candidates from any one party.

Question 23

Party Platform

Answer 23

a list of positions and programs that the party adopts at the national convention. Each position is called a plank.

Question 24

Pluralism

Answer 24

theory that policy making is the result of interest group competition.

Question 25

Political Action Committee (PAC)

Answer 25

an interest group that raises funds and donates to election campaigns.

Question 26

Patronage

Answer 26

appointing loyal party members to government positions

Question 27

Plurality

Answer 27

more votes than anyone else, but less than half, e.g., Clinton won a plurality (43%) of popular votes in 1992, but not a majority.

Question 28

Plurality Elections

Answer 28

such as those for Congress are won by the person with the most votes, regardless of the majority.

Question 29

Realigning ("critical") election

Answer 29

an election in which there is a long term change in party alignment, e.g., 1932.

Question 30

Revolving Door

Answer 30

the cycle in which a person alternately works for the public sector and private sector, thus blurring the individual’s sense of loyalty.

Question 31

Safe Seat

Answer 31

an office that is extremely likely to be won by a particular candidate or political party.

Question 32

Single Member District System

Answer 32

system in which the people elect one representative per district. With a winner-take-all rule, this system strengthens the two major parties and weakens minor parties.

Question 33

Soft Money

Answer 33

campaign contributions that are not donated directly to candidates, but are instead donated to parties.

Question 34

Solid South

Answer 34

historically, the South voted Democratic. However, the South is now strongly Republican

Question 35

Superdelegate

Answer 35

a delegate to the Democratic national convention who is there by virtue of holding an office.

Question 36

Supermajority

Answer 36

a majority greater than a simple majority of one over half, e.g., 3/5, 2/3.

Question 37

Super Tuesday

Answer 37

a Tuesday in early March in which many presidential primaries, particularly in the South, are held.