Chp. 10

Front 1

Benign gerrymandering-

Back 1

attempts to draw district boundaries so as to create districts made up primarily of disadvantaged or underrepresented minorities

Front 2

Campaign-

Back 2

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

Front 3

Caucus (political)-

Back 3

a normally closed meeting of a political or legislative group to select candidates, plan strategy, or make decisions regarding legislative matters

Front 4

Closed caucus-

Back 4

a presidential nominating caucus open only to registered party members

Front 5

Closed primary-

Back 5

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

Front 6

Coattail effect-

Back 6

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

Front 7

Delegates-

Back 7

political activists selected to vote at a party's national convention

Front 8

Electoral college-

Back 8

the presidential electors from each state who meet after the popular election to cast ballots for president and vice president

Front 9

501c(4) committees-

Back 9

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

Front 10

527 committees-

Back 10

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

Front 11

Gerrymandering-

Back 11

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

Front 12

Incumbent-

Back 12

a candidate running for reelection to a position that he or she already holds

Front 13

Majority system-

Back 13

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

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

Front 15

Midterm elections-

Back 15

congressional elections that do not coincide with a presidential election; also called off-year elections

Front 16

Open caucus-

Back 16

a presidential nominating caucus open to anyone who wishes to attend

Front 17

Open primary-

Back 17

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

Front 18

Platform

Back 18

a party document, written at a national convention, that contains party philosophy, principles, and positions on issues

Front 19

Plurality system

Back 19

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

Front 20

Political action committee (PAC)-

Back 20

a private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns

Front 21

Primary elections-

Back 21

elections held to select a party's candidate for the general election

Front 22

Proportional representation-

Back 22

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

Front 23

Prospective voting-

Back 23

voting based on the imagined future performance of a candidate

Front 24

Recall-

Back 24

procedure to allow voters an opportunity to remove state officials from office before their terms expire

Front 25

Redistricting-

Back 25

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

Front 26

Referendum-

Back 26

the practice of referring a measure proposed or passed by a legislature to the vote of the electorate for approval or rejection

Front 27

Retrospective voting-

Back 27

voting based on the past performance of a candidate

Front 28

Spot advertisement-

Back 28

a fifteen-, thirty-, or sixty-second television campaign commercial that permits a candidate's message to be delivered to a target audience

Front 29

Superdelegate-

Back 29

a convention delegate position, in Democratic conventions, reserved for party officials

Front 30

Town meeting-

Back 30

a media format in which candidates meet with ordinary citizens. Allows candidates to deliver messages without the presence of journalists or commentators

Front 31

Winner-take-all system-

Back 31

a system in which all of a state's presidential nominating delegates are awarded to the candidate who wins the most votes, while runners-up receive no delegates