Chapter 9

Front 1

midterm elections

Back 1

congressional elections that do not coincide with a presidential election; also called off-year elections. (page 381)

Front 2

primary elections

Back 2

elections held to select a party's candidate for the general election. (page 382)

Front 3

closed primary

Back 3

a primary election in which voters can participate in the nomination of candidates, but only of the party in which they are enrolled for a period of time prior to primary day. (page 382)

Front 4

open primary

Back 4

a primary election in which the voter can wait until the day of the primary to choose which party to enroll in to select candidates for the general election. (page 382)

Front 5

general election

Back 5

a regularly scheduled election involving most districts in the nation or state, in which voters select officeholders; in the United States, general elections for national office and most state and local offices are held on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November in even-numbered years. (every four years for presidential elections). (page 383)

Front 6

runoff election

Back 6

a "second round" election in which voters choose between the top two candidates from the first round. (page 383)

Front 7

majority system

Back 7

a type of electoral system in which, to win a seat in the parliament or other representative body, a candidate must receive a majority of all the votes cast in the relevant district. (page 383)

Front 8

plurality system

Back 8

a type of electoral system in which, to win a seat in the parliament or other representative body, a candidate need only receive the most votes in the election, not necessarily a majority of votes cast. (page 383)

Front 9

proportional representation

Back 9

a multiple-member district system that allows each political party representation in proportion to its percentage of the total vote. (page 383)

Front 10

straight-ticket voting

Back 10

selecting candidates from the same political party for all offices on the ballot. (page 383)

Front 11

coattail effect

Back 11

the result of voters casting their ballot for president or governor and "automatically" voting for the remainder of the party's ticket. (page 384)

Front 12

redistricting

Back 12

the process of redrawing election districts and redistributing legislative representatives. This happens every ten years to reflect shifts in population or in response to legal challenges in existing districts. (page 385)

Front 13

gerrymandering

Back 13

apportionment of voters in districts in such a way as to give unfair advantage to one racial or ethnic group or political party. (page 385)

Front 14

majority-minority district

Back 14

a gerrymandered voting district that improves the chances of minority candidates by making selected minority groups the majority within the district. (page 385)

Front 15

electoral college

Back 15

the presidential electors from each state who meet after the popular election to cast ballots for president and vice president. (page 386)

Front 16

caucus (political)

Back 16

a normally closed political party business meeting of citizens or law makers to select candidates elect officers, plan strategy, or make decisions regarding legislative matters. (page 388)

Front 17

platform

Back 17

a party document, written at a national convention, that contains party philosophy, principles, and positions on issues. (page 391)

Front 18

delegates

Back 18

political activists selected to vote at a party's national convention. (page 391)

Front 19

superdelegate

Back 19

a convention delegate position, in Democratic conventions, reserved for party officials. (page 392)

Front 20

ballot initiative

Back 20

a proposed law or policy change that is placed on the ballot by citizens or interest groups for a popular vote. (page 392)

Front 21

referendum

Back 21

the practice of referring a proposed law passed by a legislature to the vote of the electorate for approval or rejection. (page 392)

Front 22

recall

Back 22

a procedure to allow voters to remove state officials from office before their terms expire by circulating petitions to call a vote. (page 393)

Front 23

campaign

Back 23

an effort by political candidates and their supporters to win the backing of donors, political activists, and voters in their quest for political office. (page 394)

Front 24

incumbent

Back 24

a candidate running for reelection to a position that he or she already holds. (page 394)

Front 25

spot (advertisement)

Back 25

a 15, 30, or 60-second television campaign commercial that permits a candidate's message to be delivered to a target audience. (page 398)

Front 26

town hall meeting

Back 26

an informal public meeting in which candidates meet with ordinary citizens. Allows candidates to deliver messages without the presence of journalists or commentators. (page 399)

Front 27

prospective voting

Back 27

voting based on the imagined future performance of a candidate or political party. (page 406)

Front 28

retrospective voting

Back 28

voting based on the past performance of a candidate or political party. (page 406)

Front 29

political action committee (PAC)

Back 29

a private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns. (page 420)

Front 30

527 committees

Back 30

nonprofit independent groups that receive and disburse funds to influence the nomination, election, or defeat of candidates. Named after Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, which defines and provides tax-exempt status for nonprofit advocacy groups. (page 421)

Front 31

501c(4) committees

Back 31

nonprofit groups that also engage in issue advocacy. Under Section 501c(4) of the federal tax code such a group may spend up to half its revenue for political purposes. (page 421)