Ap Govt Ch.10-12 Vocab

Front 1

The person already holding an elected office.

Back 1

incumbent

Front 2

The alleged tendency of candidates to win more votes in an election because of the presence at the top of the ticket of a better-known candidate, such as the president

Back 2

coattails

Front 3

A committee set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations

Back 3

political action committee (PAC)

Front 4

Drawing the boundaries of legislative districts so that they are unequal in population.

Back 4

malapportionment

Front 5

Drawing the boundaries of legislative districts in bizarre or unusual shapes to favor one party.

Back 5

gerrymandering

Front 6

An increase in the votes congressional candidates usually get when they first run for reelection.

Back 6

sophomore surge

Front 7

An issue about which the public is divided and rival candidates or political parties adopt different policy positions.

Back 7

position issues

Front 8

An issue about which the public is united and rival candidates or political parties adopt similar positions in hopes that each will be thought to best represent those widely shared beliefs.

Back 8

valence issues

Front 9

An election held to choose which candidate will hold office.

Back 9

general election

Front 10

An election held to choose candidates for office.

Back 10

primary election

Front 11

A primary election in which voting is limited to already registered party members.

Back 11

closed primary

Front 12

A primary election in which voters may choose in which party to vote as they enter the polling place.

Back 12

open primary

Front 13

A primary election in which each voter may vote for a candidate from both parties.

Back 13

blanket primary

Front 14

A second primary election held when no candidate wins a majority of the votes in the first primary.

Back 14

runoff primary

Front 15

Spending by political action committees, corporations, or labor unions that is done to help a party or candidate but is done independently of them.

Back 15

independent expenditures

Front 16

Funds obtained by political parties that are spent on party activities, such as get-out-the-vote drives, but not behalf of a specific candidate.

Back 16

soft money

Front 17

Organizations that, under section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, raise and spend money to advance political causes.

Back 17

527 organizations

Front 18

Voting for a candidate because you favor his or her ideas for handling issues.

Back 18

prospective voting

Front 19

Voting for a candidate because you like his or her past actions in office.

Back 19

retrospective voting

Front 20

Nonprofit group that may legally address political matters but may not lobby or campaign; donations to it are tax deductible.

Back 20

501(c)(3) organization

Front 21

Nonprofit that is permitted to lobby and campaign; donations are not tax deductible.

Back 21

501(c)(4) organization

Front 22

An organization of people sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy.

Back 22

interest group

Front 23

Something of value one cannot get without joining an organization.

Back 23

incentive

Front 24

The social rewards (sense of pleasure, status, or companionship) that lead people to join political organizations.

Back 24

solidary incentives

Front 25

Money or things valued in monetary terms.

Back 25

material incentives

Front 26

A benefit that comes from serving a cause or principle.

Back 26

purposive incentive

Front 27

Political organizations that attract members by appealing to their political convictions or principles.

Back 27

ideological interest groups

Front 28

A political organization whose goals will principally benefit nonmembers.

Back 28

public-interest lobby

Front 29

A widely shared demand for change in some aspect of the social or political order.

Back 29

social movement

Front 30

A signal telling a legislator what values are at stake in a vote, and how that issue fits into his or her own political views on party agenda.

Back 30

political cue

Front 31

Assessments of a representative's voting record on issues important to an interest group.

Back 31

ratings

Front 32

A series, or log, of discussion items on a page of the World Wide Web.

Back 32

blog

Front 33

A radio or video clip of someone speaking.

Back 33

sound bite

Front 34

An FCC rule that if a broadcaster sells time to one candidate, it must sell equal time to other candidates.

Back 34

equal time rule

Front 35

Information leaked to the media to test public reaction to a possible policy.

Back 35

trial balloon

Front 36

Words that imply a value judgment, used to persuade a reader without having made a serious argument.

Back 36

loaded language

Front 37

Media stories that are regularly covered by reporters.

Back 37

routine stories

Front 38

Media stories about events that, though public, are not regularly covered by reporters.

Back 38

feature stories

Front 39

Media stories about events that are usually not made public.

Back 39

insider stories

Front 40

Paying attention only to those news stories with which one already agrees.

Back 40

selective attention

Front 41

The tendency of the national media to be suspicious of officials and eager to reveal unflattering stories about them.

Back 41

adversarial press

Front 42

A public official's statement to a reporter that is given on condition that the official not be named

Back 42

background