Am Govt : Chapter 9

Front 1

delegates

Back 1

individuals who represent a state's voters in the selection of a political party's presidential candidate

Front 2

caucus

Back 2

a small meeting at which registered political party members select delegates to attend the national party convention and nominate a presidential candidate

Front 3

primary

Back 3

election in which voters choose the candidate who will represent their political party in the general election

Front 4

winner-take-all

Back 4

election in which the candidate who gets the most votes win; any other candidate loses and receives nothing

Front 5

open primary

Back 5

an election in which a voter can participate in either party's primary (but not both), regardless of party registration

Front 6

modified open primary

Back 6

an election in which registered voters who are not affiliated with either party can vote in either party's primary

Front 7

closed primary

Back 7

an election in which only registered members of a political party can participate in the party's primary election

Front 8

Electoral College

Back 8

the meeting, in each state and the District of Columbia, of electors who cast votes to elect the president

Front 9

plurality rule

Back 9

a candidate wins office by getting more votes than his or her opponent, even if that candidate does not receive an absolute majority of the votes

Front 10

invisible primary

Back 10

the race to raise the most money and achieve front-runner status before the primary season begins

Front 11

momentum

Back 11

the boost in media coverage, name recognition, fund-raising, and perceptions of electability that accompanies unexpected and repeated primary success

Front 12

retrospective voting

Back 12

voters judge candidates based on the performance of the candidates or their parties rather than issue stands and assessments of what each candidate would do if elected

Front 13

direct mail

Back 13

political advertising in which messages are sent directly to potential voters in the form of mail or e-mail, rather than using a third-party medium

Front 14

focus group

Back 14

in-depth interview with a small number of people representing important voter constituencies

Front 15

battleground states

Back 15

competitive states in which no candidate has an overwhelming advantage, and therefore Electoral College votes are in play

Front 16

red states

Back 16

largely uncontested states in which the Republican candidates for president is very likely to win

Front 17

blue states

Back 17

largely uncontested states in which the Democratic candidate for president is very likely to win

Front 18

field operations

Back 18

the "ground war" intended to produce high turnout among party loyalists, particularly in battleground states

Front 19

hard money

Back 19

funds to be used by candidates or parties for the express purpose of running an election campaign, or by PACs for contributing to candidates

Front 20

soft money

Back 20

funds to be used for political purposes other than running a campaign, for example, get-out-the-vote efforts; or by some interest groups for political ads praising or attacking candidates

Front 21

public money

Back 21

taxpayer funds used to help finance presidential campaigns

Front 22

political action committee (PAC)

Back 22

a group that collects money from individuals and makes donations to political parties and candidates

Front 23

independent expenditures

Back 23

funds spent to elect or defeat candidates but not coordinated with any candidate's campaign

Front 24

coordinated expenditures

Back 24

legally limited purchases or payments made by a political party on behalf of, and in coordination with, a specific campaign

Front 25

matching funds

Back 25

public monies given to qualifying candidates to match a certain percentage of the funds they have raised from private donors