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25 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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winner-take-all system
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an election system in which the candidate with the most votes wins
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single-member district
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an electoral district in which voters choose one representative or official
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proportional representation
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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
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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
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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
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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 appeal
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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
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the inclination to focus on national issues, rather than local issues, in an election campaign, and can be reduced by the nature of the candidates on the ballot who may have differentiated themselves from their party or its leader if the tide is negative, as well as competition in the election
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name recognition
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incumbent have an advantage over challengers in election campaigns because voters are more familiar with them, and incumbents are more recognizable
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caucus
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a meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform
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national party convention
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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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Federal Election Commission (FEC)
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a commission created by the 1974 amendments to the Federal Election Campaign Act to administer election reform laws. It consists of 6 commissioners appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Its duties include overseeing disclosure of campaign finance info, public funding of presidential elections, and enforcing contribution limits
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Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)
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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 except for limited contributions to state or local parties for voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts
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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. Raising such limited funds is harder than raising unlimited funds, hence the term "hard money"
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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, and is often electioneering for or against a candidate, avoiding words like "vote for," and until 2004 had not been subject to any regulation
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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
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Super PACs
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an independent expenditure-only committee first allowed in 2010 after court decisions allowing unlimited contributions to such PACs, and were important in the 2010 and 2012 elections
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mass media
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means of communication that reach the public, including newspapers and magazines, radio, television (broadcast, cable, and satellite), films, recording, books, and electronic communication
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news media
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media that emphasize the news
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24/7 news cycle
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news is now constantly updated and presented via Internet sites like the New York Times or Wall Street Journal and cable news sources like CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC
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political socialization
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the process by which we develop our political attitudes values, and beliefs
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selective exposure
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the process by which individuals screen out messages that do not conform to their own biases
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selective perception
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the process by which individuals perceive what they want in media messages
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horse race
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a close contest; by extensions, any contest in which the focus is on who is ahead and by how much rather than on substantive differences between the candidates
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