Ch. 8-Political Parties

Front 1

Political Competition

Back 1

The battles of parties for control of public offices. Ups and downs of the two major political parties are one of the most important elements in American politics.

Front 2

Political Party

Back 2

A team of men and women seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election.

Front 3

Linkage Institutions

Back 3

The channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda. E.G. elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.

Front 4

Rational-Choice Theory

Back 4

Popular theory in political science to explain the actions of voters as well as politicians. It assumes that individuals act in their own best interest, carefully weighing the costs and benefits of possible alternatives.

Front 5

Party Images

Back 5

The voter's perception of what the Republicans or Democrats should stanford for, such as liberalism or conservatism.

Front 6

Party Identification

Back 6

A citizen's self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other.

Front 7

Ticket Splitting

Back 7

Voting for one party for one office and another party for another office.

Front 8

Party Machines

Back 8

A type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements, such as patronage, to win votes and to govern.

Front 9

Patronage

Back 9

One of the key inducements used by party machine. A patronage job, promotion, or contract is one that is govern for political reasons rather than for merit or competence alone.

Front 10

Closed Primaries

Back 10

Elections to select party nominees in which only people who have registered in advance with the party can vote for that party's candidates, thus encouraging greater party loyalty.

Front 11

Open Primaries

Back 11

Elections to select party nominees in which voters can decide on Election Day whether they want to participate in the Democratic or Republican contests.

Front 12

Blanket Primaries

Back 12

Elections to select party nominees in which voters are presented with a list of candidates from all the parties. Voters can then select some Democrats and some Republicans if they like.

Front 13

National Convention

Back 13

Meeting of party delegates every 4 years to select a presidential nomination and form a party platform.

Front 14

Nation Committee

Back 14

One of the institutions that keeps the party running between conventions. Composed of representatives form states and territories.

Front 15

National Chairperson

Back 15

Responsible for day-to-day activities of the party and is usually handpicked by the presidential nominee.

Front 16

Coalition

Back 16

Group of individuals with a common interest on which every political party depends.

Front 17

Party Eras

Back 17

Historical periods in which a majority of voters cling to the party in power, which tends to win a majority of the elections.

Front 18

Critical Election

Back 18

An electoral "earthquake" where new issues emerge, new coaltions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party. Sometimes marked by times of national crisis, and many require more than one election to bring about a new era.

Front 19

Party Realignment

Back 19

The displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period.

Front 20

New Deal coalition

Back 20

Coalition formed by the Democrats who dominated American politics from the 1930s to the 1960s. Its basic elements were the urban working class, ethnic groups, Catholics and Jews, the poor, Southerners, African Americans, and intellectuals.

Front 21

Party Dealignment

Back 21

The gradual disengagement of people and politicians from the parties, as seen in part by shrinking party identification.

Front 22

Third Parties

Back 22

Electoral contenders other than the two major parties. They are not unusual, but rarely win elections.

Front 23

Winner-Take-All System

Back 23

An electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who come in first in their constituencies. In presidential election, the winner of a states popular vote gets all the electoral votes.

Front 24

Proportional Representations

Back 24

An electoral system used throughout most of Europe that awards legislative seats to political parties in portion to the number of votes won in an election.

Front 25

Coalition Government

Back 25

When two or more parties join together to form a majority in a national legislature. This form of government is quite common in the multiparty system of Europe.