Study US Politics IDs Chap 8 Flash Cards

 
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US Politics IDs Chap 8

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coattails
DEF: The idea that a popular president can generate additional support for candidates affiliated with his party.
EX: If a president is Democratic and is well-respected, he can easily sway people to vote for Democratic candidates.
SIG: Gets a majority of one party in the House and Senate.
voting cues
DEF: Pieces of information about a candidate that are readily available, easy to interpret, and lead a citizen to decide to vote for a particular candidate.
EX: The candidate's political party.
SIG: Provides the citizen a simple way to have a preference to one candidate.
soft money
DEF: Contributions that can be used for voter mobilization or to promote a policy proposal or point of view as long as these efforts are not tied to supporting or opposing a particular candidate.
EX: Funding for van service to the polls.
SIG: Provides funding for candidates to urge voters to vote and to promote their policies.
hard money
DEF: Donations that are used to help elect or defeat a specific candidate.
EX: Funding for ads.
SIG: Provides funding for candidates for campaigning.
Federal Election Commission
DEF: The government agency that enforces and regulates campaign finance laws.
EX: Made up of six presidential appointees, of whom no more than three can be members of the same party.
SIG: Controls financing of campaigning.
campaign platform
DEF: A candidate's description of his or her issue positions and the kinds of policies he or she will seek to enact in office.
EX: Promising to lower taxes.
SIG: Tells the voters what they want to hear so they can get elected.
GOTV or the ground game
DEF: A campaigns efforts to "get out the vote" or make sure their supporters vote on Election Day.
EX: Setting up a van service for voters.
SIG: Urges more citizens to vote and have their say in government.
mobilization
DEF: Motivating supporters to vote in an election and, in some cases, helping them get to the polls on Election Day.
EX: Setting up a van service for voters.
SIG: Urges more citizens to vote and have their say in government.
retail politics
DEF: A mode of campaigning in which a candidate or campaign staff contact citizens directly.
EX: A rally, a talk before a small group, or a one-on-one meeting.
SIG: Helps candidate get to a close and personal level with the voters.
wholesale politics
DEF: A mode of campaigning that involves indirect contact with citizens.
EX: Running campaign ads.
SIG: Requires less effort and time on candidate's part.
election cycle
DEF: The two-year period between general elections.
EX: Election period between 2008 and 2010.
SIG: Occurs every two years between elections.
electoral college
DEF: The body that votes to select America's president and vice president based on the popular vote in each state.
EX: How the president is elected every four years.
SIG: Prevents the citizens from directly voting for the president.
winner-take-all
DEF: During the presidential primaries, the practice of assigning all of a given states' delegates to the candidate who receives the most popular votes.
EX: If the Democratic nominee wins the primaries, he or she gets all the delegates from that area.
SIG: Gives the nominee a great advantage.
majority voting
DEF: A voting system in which a candidate must win more than 50 percent of votes in order to win the election.
EX: If the Democratic candidate wins 48% of the vote, the Republican candidate wins 46% of the vote, and the independent candidate wins 6% of the vote then there must be a runoff election between the top two candidates.
SIG: Provides an accurate election.
nationalized election
DEF: An atypical congressional election in which the reelection rate is relatively low for one's party's House and Senate incumbents and national-level issues exert more influence than usual on House and Senate races.
EX: Election of 2006 when the Democrats took over a lot of House and Senate seats.
SIG: Form a strong seat shift between parties.
plurality voting
DEF: A voting system in which the candidate who receives the most votes within a geographic area wins the election regardless of whether or not he or she wins majority.
EX: If the Democratic candidate wins 48% of the vote, the Republican candidate wins 46% of the vote, and the independent candidate wins 6% of the vote then the Democratic candidate wins.
SIG: Calls for only one election as long as there is no tie.
absentee ballot
DEF: A voting ballot submitted by mail before an election.
EX: Voting for a Democratic candidate a week before election and sending it in the mail.
SIG: Allows voters who will be unable to go to the polls on Election Day still vote.
general election
DEF: The election in which voters cast ballots for House members, senators, and a president and vice president.
EX: Election for president every four years is a general election.
SIG: Allows citizens to vote for their preferred candidate.
incumbent
DEF: A politician running for reelection to the office she currently holds.
EX: Bush in the 2004 election was an incumbent.
SIG: Represents an official who is currently in office and has been elected before.
normal election
DEF: A typical congressional election in which the reelection rate is high, and the influences on the House and Senate contests are largely local.
EX: Seat shifts between the parties are small.
SIG: Most congressional elections are normal elections.
electoral vote
DEF: Votes cast by members of the electoral college.
EX: After a presidential candidate wins the popular vote in a state, that candidate's slate of electors will cast electoral votes for the candidate on behalf of the state.
SIG: Citizens don't directly elect an official.
popular vote
DEF: The votes cast by citizens in an election.
EX: Each vote is counted individually toward candidates.
SIG: Directly elects an official.
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