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70 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
political efficacy |
that belief that a citizen can make a difference in politics |
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selection bias |
distortion caused when a sampling method includes or excludes people with certain attitudes |
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focus groups |
small groups brought together to talk about issues or candidates |
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measurement error |
error that arises from attempting to measure something as subjective as opinion |
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Roe v Wade |
ruled for constitutionality of abortion |
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mass public |
ordinary people for whom politics is a peripheral concern |
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political elites |
activists and officeholders who have well-structured ideologies that bind together their positions on policy issues |
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voter mobilization |
efforts of organizations to increase turnout |
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undervotes |
ballots that indicate no choice for office |
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overvotes |
ballots that have more than one choice for office |
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compositional effect |
a shift in behavior of a group that results from change of composition, rather than change in behavior of individuals |
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interest groups |
organization that engages in politics on behalf of its members |
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public goods |
goods enjoyed simultaneously by a group, EG clean air |
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social movements |
broad-based demand for government action |
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selective benefits |
specific private goods that an organization provides only to contributing members |
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political entrepreneur |
person willing to assume the cost of forming and maintaining and organization, even when others might free-ride |
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grassroots lobbying |
attempts by groups to influence officials indirectly through their constituents |
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political action committee |
specialized organization for raising and spending campaign funds |
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direct action |
everything from peaceful sit-ins to riots and rebellion |
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issue advocacy |
advertising campaigns that attempt to influence public opinion |
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subgovernment |
alliance of a congressional committee, an executive agency, and a small number of allied interest groups |
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issue network |
a loose collection of interest groups, politicians, bureaucrats, and policy experts who share a particular interest |
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pluralism |
school of thought holding that politics is the class of groups that check and balance each other |
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divided government |
when one party holds the presidency but does not control congress |
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realignment |
shift occurring when pattern of group support for political parties changes in a significant and lasting way |
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critical election |
election that marks the emergence of a new, lasting alignment of partisan support within the electorate |
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national nominating convention |
quadrennial gathering of party officials and delegates that selects presidential and vice presidential nominees |
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progressives |
loose aggregation of political elites in late nineteenth/early twentieth century who promoted political reforms and a 'cleaned up' government |
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direct primary |
a method of choosing party candidates that allows voters to choose nominees for office |
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ticket-splitting |
voter selection of candidates from different parties at the same election |
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single-member, simple-plurality system |
voting system where candidates who win the most votes in their districts are elected |
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proportional representation |
electoral system in which parties receive a share of seats in parliament that is proportional to the popular vote they receive |
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reapportionment |
the allocation of House seats to the states after each decennial census |
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redistricting |
drawing new boundaries of congressional districts |
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filing deadline |
latest date on which a candidate who wishes to be on a primary ballot may file official documents and pay fees |
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open seat |
a House or Senate race with no incumbent |
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safe seat |
a district certain to vote for the candidate of one party |
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incumbency advantage |
electoral advantage a candidate enjoys by virtue of being an incumbent |
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frank |
name given to representatives' and senators' free use of US mail |
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casework |
efforts by members of Congress to help individuals and groups when they have difficulties with federal agencies |
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constituency service |
efforts by members of Congress to secure federal funding for their districts |
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coattails |
positive electoral effect of a popular presidential candidate |
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affirmative action redistricting |
process of drawing district lines to maximize the number of majority-minority districts |
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whip |
member of congress who connects party leaders to rank and file |
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party caucus |
all democratic members of house or senate |
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party conference |
all republican members of house or senate |
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president pro tempore |
serves as senate's presiding officer in VP's absence |
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unanimous-consent agreement |
an agreement that sets forth the terms and conditions according to which the Senate will consider a bill |
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standing committee |
committee with fixed membership and jurisdiction |
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select committee |
temporary committee created to deal with a specific issue or problem |
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seniority |
practice by which the majority-party member with the longest continuous service on a committee becomes chair |
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caucus |
a voluntary group within Congress formed by members to pursue shared interests |
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sponsor |
rep who introduces a bill or resolution |
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multiple referrals |
process occurring when party leaders give more than one committee responsibility for considering a bill |
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markup |
process in which a committee considers and revises a bill that has been introduced |
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conference committee |
a group of reps from both house and senate who iron out differences between the two chambers' versions of a bill or resolution |
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authorization process |
term applied to the entire process of providing statutory authority for a government program or activity |
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appropriations process |
process of providing funding for governmental activities and programs that have been authorized |
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trustees |
rep who acts in accordance with best judgment |
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delegate |
role a rep plays when following the wishes of those who have elected him |
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earmarks |
in a budget, designation of funds for a specific use |
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Plessy v Ferguson |
Supreme Court decision declaring separate but equal facilities to be constitutional |
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grandfather clause |
reconstruction-era southern law permitting a man to vote if his father or grandfather was eligible to vote before the Civil War |
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white primary |
a primary election, held by democratic party after reconstruction, that excluded nonwhites from participation |
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restrictive housing covenants |
legal promises by home buyers that they would not resell to blacks |
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brown v. board of education |
1954 decision declaring racial segregation in schools unconstitutional |
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suspect classification |
categorization of a particular racial or ethnic group that will be closely scrutinized by courts to see whether its use is unconstitutional |
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affirmative action |
programs designed to enhance opportunities for groups that have suffered discrimination in the past |
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equal rights amendment |
proposed amendment to the constitution that banned gender discrimination |
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glass ceiling |
invisible barrier that has limited women's opportunities for advancement to highest ranks of politics, business, and professions |