Ap Gov Chapter 8 Vocab

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winner take-all system

Back 1

an election system in which the candidate witu the most votes wins

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single-member district

Back 2

an electoral district in which voters choose one representative or official

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proportional representation

Back 3

an election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote

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Electoral College

Back 4

the electoral system used in electing the president and vice president, in which voters vote for electors pledged to cast their ballots for a particular party's candidates

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safe seat

Back 5

an elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other, so the success of that party's candidate is almost taken for granted

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coattail effect

Back 6

the boost that candidates may get in an election because of the popularity of candidates above them on the ballot, especially the president

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candidate proposal

Back 7

the tendency in elections to focus on the personal attributes of a candidate, such as his or her strengths, weaknesses, background, experience, and visibility

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national tide

Back 8

inclination to focus on national issues rather than local issues in an election campaign

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name recognition

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incumbents have an advantage over challengera in election campaigns because voters are more familiar with them, and incumbents are more recognizable

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national party convention

Back 10

a national meeting of delegates elected in primaries, caucuses, or state conventions who assemble once every four years to nominate candidates for president and vice president, ratify the party platform, elect officers, and adopt rules

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caucus

Back 11

a meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform

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Federal Election Commission

Back 12

administers election reform laws; consists of 6 commissioners appointed by the president and confirmed by the senate

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Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act

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largely banned party soft money; restored a long-standing prohibition on corporations and labor unions for using general treasury funds for electoral purposes, and narrowed the definition of issue advocacy

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soft money

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money raised in unlimited amounts by political parties for party building purposes; now largely illegal

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hard money

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political contributions given to a party, candidate, or interest group that are limited in amount and fully disclosed; limited funds harder to raise

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issue advocacy

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promoting a particular position or an issue paid for by interest groups or individuals but not candidates

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independent expenditures

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money spent by individuals or groups not associated with candidates to elect or defeat candidates for office