Chapter 9 – Campaigns, Elections, And The Media

Front 1

Australian ballot

Back 1

A secret ballot prepared, distributed, and tabulated by government officials at public expense. Since 1888, all states have used the Australian ballot rather than an open, public ballot.

Front 2

“beauty contest”

Back 2

A presidential primary in which candidates compete for popular votes but the results do not control the selection of delegates to the national convention.

Front 3

Bias

Back 3

An inclination or preference that interferes with impartial judgment.

Front 4

Caucus

Back 4

A meeting of party members designed to select candidates and propose policies.

Front 5

Closed primary

Back 5

A type of primary in which the voter is limited to choosing candidates of the party of which he or she is a member.

Front 6

Coat-tail effect

Back 6

The influence of a popular candidate on the electoral success of other candidates on the same party ticket. The effect is increased by the party-column ballot, which encourages straight-ticket voting.

Front 7

Corrupt practices acts

Back 7

A series of acts passed by Congress in an attempt to limit and regulate the size and sources of contributions and expenditures in political campaigns.

Front 8

Credentials committee

Back 8

A committee used by political parties as their national conventions to determine which delegates may participate. The committee inspects the claim of each prospective delegate to be seated as a legitimate representative of his or her state.

Front 9

Direct primary

Back 9

An intraparty election in which the voters select the candidates who will run on a partys ticket in the subsequent general election.

Front 10

Elector

Back 10

A member of the electoral college, which selects the president and vice president. Each states electors are chosen in each presidential election year according to state laws.

Front 11

Focus group

Back 11

A small group of individuals who are led in discussion by a professional consultant in order to gather opinions on and responses to candidates and issues.

Front 12

Front-loading

Back 12

The practice of moving presidential primary elections to the early part of the campaign to maximize the impact of these primaries on the nomination.

Front 13

Front-runner

Back 13

The presidential candidate who appears to be ahead at a given time in the primary season.

Front 14

General election

Back 14

An election, normally held on the first Tuesday in November, that determines who will fill various elected positions.

Front 15

Hatch Act

Back 15

An act passed in 1939 that restricted the political activities of government employees. It also prohibited a political group from spending more than $3 million in any campaign and limited individual contributions to a campaign committee to $5,000.

Front 16

Independent expenditures

Back 16

Nonregulated contributions from PACs, organizations, and individuals. The funds may be spent on advertising or other campaign activities so long as those expenditures are not coordinated with those of a candidate.

Front 17

Indirect primary

Back 17

A primary election in which voters choose convention delegates, and the delegates determine the partys candidate in the general election.

Front 18

Issue advocacy

Back 18

Advertising paid for by interest groups that support or oppose a candidate or a candidates position on an issue without mentioning voting or elections.

Front 19

Office-block, or Massachusetts ballot

Back 19

A form of general election ballot in which candidates for elective office are grouped together under the title of each office. It emphasizes voting for the office and the individual candidate, rather than for the party.

Front 20

Open primary

Back 20

A primary in which any registered voter can vote (but most vote for candidates of only one party).

Front 21

Party-column, or Indiana ballot

Back 21

A form of general-election ballot in which all of a partys candidates for elective office are arranged in one column under the partys label and symbol. It emphasizes voting for the party, rather than for the office or individual.

Front 22

Podcasting

Back 22

A method of distributing multimedia files, such as audio or video files, for downloading onto mobile devices or personal computers.

Front 23

Political action committee (PAC)

Back 23

A committee set up by and representing a corporation, labor union, or special interest group. PACs raise and give campaign donations.

Front 24

Political consultant

Back 24

A paid professional hired to devise a campaign strategy and manage a campaign.

Front 25

Presidential primary

Back 25

A statewide primary election of delegates to a political partys national convention, held to determine a partys presidential nominee.

Front 26

Primary election

Back 26

An election in which political parties choose their candidates for the general election.

Front 27

Public agenda

Back 27

Issues that are perceived by the political community as meriting public attention and governmental action.

Front 28

Rational ignorance effect

Back 28

An effect produced when people purposely and rationally decide not to become informed on an issue because they believe that their vote on the issue is not likely to be a deciding one; a lack of incentive to seek the necessary information to cast an intelligent vote.

Front 29

Registration

Back 29

The entry of a persons name onto the list of registered voters for elections. To register, a person must meet certain legal requirements of age, citizenship, and residency.

Front 30

Soft money

Back 30

Campaign contributions unregulated by federal or state law, usually given to parties or party committees to help fund general party activities.

Front 31

Sound bite

Back 31

A brief, memorable comment that can easily be fit into news broadcasts.

Front 32

Spin

Back 32

An interpretation of campaign events or election results that is favorable to the candidates campaign strategy.

Front 33

Spin doctor

Back 33

A political campaign adviser who tries to convince journalists of the truth of a particular interpretation of events.

Front 34

Superdelegate

Back 34

A party leader or elected official who is given the right to vote at the partys national convention. Superdelegates are not elected at the state level.

Front 35

Tracking poll

Back 35

A poll taken on a nearly daily basis as election day approaches.

Front 36

Vote-eligible population

Back 36

The number of people who, at a given time, enjoy the right to vote in national elections.

Front 37

Voter turnout

Back 37

The percentage of citizens taking part in the election process; the number of eligible voters that actually “turn out” on election day to cast their ballots.

Front 38

Voting-age population

Back 38

The number of people of voting age living in the country at a given time, regardless of whether they have the right to vote.