Chp. 9

Front 1

Caucus (political)-

Back 1

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

Front 2

Divided government-

Back 2

the condition in American government wherein the presidency is controlled by one party while the opposing party controls one or both houses of Congress

Front 3

Electoral realignment-

Back 3

the point in history when a new party supplants the ruling party, becoming in turn the dominant political force. In the United States, this has tended to occur roughly every thirty years

Front 4

527 committees-

Back 4

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 grants tax-exempt status to nonprofit advocacy groups

Front 5

Gender gap-

Back 5

a distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting the differences in views between women and men

Front 6

Machines-

Back 6

strong party organizations in late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century American cities. These machines were led by "bosses" who controlled party nominations and patronage

Front 7

Majority party-

Back 7

the party that holds the majority of legislative seats in either the House or the Senate

Front 8

Minority party-

Back 8

the party that holds a minority of legislative seats in either the House or the Senate

Front 9

Multiple-member district-

Back 9

an electorate that selects all candidates at large from the whole district; each voter is given the number of votes equivalent to the number of seats to be filled

Front 10

Nomination-

Back 10

the process by which political parties select their candidates for election to public office

Front 11

Party activists-

Back 11

partisans who contribute time, energy, and effort to support their party and its candidates

Front 12

Party identification-

Back 12

an individual voter's psychological ties to one party or another

Front 13

Party organization-

Back 13

the formal structure of a political party, including its leadership, election committees, active members, and paid staff

Front 14

Patronage-

Back 14

the resources available to higher officials, usually opportunities to make partisan appointments to offices and to confer grants, licenses, or special favors to supporters

Front 15

Platform-

Back 15

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

Front 16

Plurality system-

Back 16

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 17

Policy entrepreneur-

Back 17

an individual who identifies a problem as a political issue and brings a policy proposal into the political agenda

Front 18

Political parties-

Back 18

organized groups that attempt to influence the government by electing their members to important government offices

Front 19

Proportional representation-

Back 19

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

Front 20

Single-member district-

Back 20

an electorate that is allowed to select only one representative from each district; the normal method of representation in the United States

Front 21

Soft money-

Back 21

money contributed directly to political parties for political activities that is not regulated by federal campaign spending laws

Front 22

Third parties-

Back 22

parties that organize to compete against the two major American political parties

Front 23

Two-party system-

Back 23

a political system in which only two parties have a realistic opportunity to compete effectively for control