Unit 2 Vocab

Question 1

attentive public

Answer 1

those who follow politics and public affairs carefully.

Question 2

Australian ballot

Answer 2

secret ballot printed at the expense of the state.

Question 3

Balancing the ticket

Answer 3

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 4

Blanket primary

Answer 4

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

Question 5

Caucus

Answer 5

local party meeting

Question 6

Closed primary

Answer 6

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

Question 7

Coattail effect

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Demographics

Answer 8

characteristics of populations, e.g., race, sex, income.

Question 9

Direct election

Answer 9

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

Question 10

Direct primary

Answer 10

election in which the people choose candidates for office.

Question 11

Fixed terms

Answer 11

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

Question 12

Front loading

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Gender Gap

Answer 13

difference in voting patterns for men and women, particularly in the greater tendency of the latter to vote for Democratic presidential candidates.

Question 14

general election

Answer 14

election in which the officeholders are chosen. Contrast with a primary election, in which only the candidates are chosen.

Question 15

hard money

Answer 15

campaign contributions donated directly to candidates.

Question 16

ideology

Answer 16

set of beliefs about political values and the role of government.

Question 17

incumbent

Answer 17

an officeholder who is seeking reelection.

Question 18

independent

Answer 18

one is not registered with a political party.

Question 19

independent leaners

Answer 19

tend to vote for candidates of one particular party

Question 20

pure independents

Answer 20

have no consistent pattern of party voting

Question 21

issue advocacy ads

Answer 21

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

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 identification

Answer 23

a sense of affiliation that a person has with a particular political party.

Question 24

party platform

Answer 24

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

Question 25

political culture

Answer 25

the widely shared beliefs, values, and norms that citizens share about their government.

Question 26

plurality

Answer 26

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 27

plurality elections

Answer 27

such as those for Congress are won by the person with the most votes, regardless if he/she has a majority

Question 28

political efficacy

Answer 28

capacity to understand and influence political events

Question 29

political socialization

Answer 29

process in which one acquires his/her political beliefs.

Question 30

realigning (critical) election

Answer 30

an election in which there is a long term

change in party alignment, e.g., 1932.

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 solidly Democratic. However, the South is now strongly Republican: Bush carried every Southern state in 2000.

Question 35

split ticket voting

Answer 35

casting votes for candidates of one’s own party and for candidates of opposing parties, e.g., voting for a Republican presidential candidate and a Democratic congressional candidate

Question 36

straight ticket voting

Answer 36

casting votes only for candidates of one’s party.

Question 37

suffrage

Answer 37

right to vote

Question 38

superdelegate

Answer 38

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

Question 39

Super Tuesday

Answer 39

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

Question 40

Swing state

Answer 40

a state that does not consistently vote either Democratic or Republican in presidential elections.