Approaching Democracy Chapter 10

Front 1

civil disobedience

Back 1

breaking the law in a nonviolent fashion and being willing to suffer the consequences even to the point of going to jail, in order to publically demonstrate that the law is unjust

Front 2

coattails effect

Back 2

riding the president's cottails into office occurs in an election when voters also elect representatives or senators belonging to a successful presidential candidate's party

Front 3

contingency election

Back 3

an election held int eh House if no candidate receives the majority int he electoral college

Front 4

deviating election

Back 4

election in which the minority party captures the white house because of short-term intervening forces, and thus a deviation from the expectation that power will remain in the hands of the dominant party

Front 5

electoral college

Back 5

the group of 538 electors who meet separately in each of their states and teh DC on the first monday following the second wednesday in december after a national presidential election. their majority decision officially elects the president and vice president of the US

Front 6

faithless elector

Back 6

member of the electoral college who casts his or her vote for someone other than the state's popular vote winner

Front 7

federal matching funds

Back 7

system under which presidential candidates who raise a certain amount of money in the required way may apply for and receive matching federal funds

Front 8

good-character test

Back 8

a requirement that voting applicants wishing to vote produce two or more registered voters to vouch for their integrity

Front 9

independent expenditures

Back 9

funds dispersed, as allowed by a loophole in campaign finance law, by a group or person not coordinated by a candidate, in the name of a cause

Front 10

initiative

Back 10

a proposal sumitted by the public and voted upon during elections

Front 11

issue advocracy

Back 11

the process of campaigning to persuade the public to take a position on an issue

Front 12

literacy test

Back 12

a requirement that voting applicants had to demonstrate an understanding of national and state constitutions. primarily used to prevent African Americans from voting in the south

Front 13

maintaining election

Back 13

election in which the majority party of the day wins both conress and the white house, maintaining its control of government

Front 14

midterm elections

Back 14

elections in which americans elect members of congress but not presidents

Front 15

participation

Back 15

mass political involvement through voting, campaign work, political protests, civil disobedience, among many others.

Front 16

party identification

Back 16

a psychological orientation, r long-term propensity to think positively of and vote regularly for, a particular political party

Front 17

political violence

Back 17

violent action motivated primairly by political aims and intended to have a political impact

Front 18

poll tax

Back 18

a fee that had to be paid before one could vote; used to prevent africn americans from voting; now unconstitutional

Front 19

protest

Back 19

expression of dissatisfaction; may take the form of demonstrations, letters to newspapers or public officials, or simple 'opting out' of the system by failing to vote or participate in any other way

Front 20

realigning election

Back 20

election characterized by m assive shifts in partisan identification, as in 1932 with the new deal coalition

Front 21

referendum

Back 21

a proposal submitted by a state legislature to the public for a popular vote, often focusing on whteher a state should spend money in a certain way

Front 22

retrospective voting

Back 22

a particularly powerful form of issue voting in which voters look back over the past term or two to judge how well an incumbent or the 'in party' has performed in office

Front 23

soft money

Back 23

campaign contributions directed to advancing the interests of a political party or an issue in general, rather than a specific candidate

Front 24

split-ticket ballots

Back 24

ballots on which people vote for candidates from more than one party

Front 25

straight-party ticket

Back 25

ballots on which people vote for only one party

Front 26

voter turnout

Back 26

the percentage of eligible voters who actually show up and vote on election day