Gov Midterm Ch6

Front 1

*activist

Back 1

An individual who actively promotes a political party, philosophy, or issue he and/or she cares personally about

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*Australian ballot

Back 2

An election ballot of uniform size printed by the government and cast in secret.

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campaigners

Back 3

According to Sidney Verba and Norman Nie, people who not only vote but like to get involved in campaign activities as well. They are better educated than the average voter, but what distinguishes them most is their interest in the conflicts of politics, their clear party identification, and their willingness to take strong positions.

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communalists

Back 4

According to Sidney Verba and Norman Nie, people who tend to reserve their energies for community activities. They prefer to avoid the partisanship and conflicts that characterize campaigns. Their education and income are similar to those of campaigners.

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complete activists

Back 5

According to Sidney Verba and Norman Nie, people who are highly educated, have high incomes, and tend to be middle-aged rather than young or old. These people participate in all forms of politics and account for 11 percent of the population.

Front 6

Fifteenth Amendment

Back 6

The constitutional amendment that guaranteed the right to vote regardless of race, color, or previous condition of slavery.

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*grandfather clause

Back 7

A state law allowing people to vote, even if they did not meet legal requirements, if an ancestor had voted before 1867. The clause was used as a vehicle to enable poor and illiterate whites to vote while excluding blacks, who had no ancestor voting prior to 1867. Such clauses were ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Front 8

inactives

Back 8

According to Sidney Verba and Norman Nie, people who rarely vote, do not get involved in organizations, and do not even talk much about politics. They account for about 22 percent of the population.

Front 9

*literacy test

Back 9

A state law requiring potential voters to demonstrate reading skills. The laws were frequently implemented in a discriminatory fashion to prevent otherwise qualified blacks from voting. These tests were suspended by the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Front 10

*motor-voter bill

Back 10

A law passed by Congress in 1993 that requires states to allow people to register to vote when applying for a driver’s license and to provide registration through the mail and at some state offices that serve the disabled and provide public assistance. The law took effect in 1995.

Front 11

*motor-voter bill

Back 11

A law passed by Congress in 1993 that requires states to allow people to register to vote when applying for a driver’s license and to provide registration through the mail and at some state offices that serve the disabled and provide public assistance. The law took effect in 1995.

Front 12

Nineteenth Amendment

Back 12

An amendment to the Constitution, passed in 1920, allowing women the right to vote.

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parochial participants

Back 13

According to Sidney Verba and Norman Nie, people who do not vote and stay out of election campaigns and civic associations, but who are willing to contact local officials about specific, often personal, problems.

Front 14

*poll tax

Back 14

A state tax paid prior to voting. The tax was designed to prevent blacks from voting since poor whites were usually exempted through a grandfather clause. Poll taxes have been made illegal.

Front 15

*registered voters

Back 15

People who are eligible to vote in an election and who have signed up with the government to vote.

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Twenty-third Amendment

Back 16

The 1961 constitutional amendment permitting residents of Washington, D.C., to vote in presidential elections.

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Voting Rights Act of 1965

Back 17

The federal law that suspended the use of literacy tests in elections and authorized federal examiners to order the registration of blacks in states and counties where fewer than 50 percent of the voting-age population was registered or had voted in the last presidential election.

Front 18

*caucus

Back 18

An alternative to a state primary in which party followers meet, often for many hours, to select party candidates.

Front 19

*congressional campaign committee

Back 19

Separate committees in Congress for each political party to help members who are running for reelection or would-be members running for an open seat or challenging a candidate from the opposition party.

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direct primary

Back 20

A proposal originated by progressive reformers to open up political parties to their membership. It permits a vote of party members to select the party’s nominee in the general election

Front 21

economic-protest parties

Back 21

Parties, usually based in a particular region, especially involving farmers, that protest against depressed economic conditions. These tend to disappear as conditions improve. An example would be the Greenback party.

Front 22

factional parties

Back 22

Parties that are created by a split in a major party, usually over the identity and philosophy of the major party’s presidential candidate. An example would be the “Bull Moose” Progressive party.

Front 23

first party system

Back 23

The original party structure in which political parties were loose caucuses of political notables in various locations. It was replaced around 1824.

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*ideological party

Back 24

A political party organization that values principle above all else and spurns money incentives for members to participate

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initiative

Back 25

A proposal favored by progressive reformers to curtail corruption. It allows a law to be enacted directly by vote of the people without approval of a legislative body.

Front 26

*mugwumps (or progressives)

Back 26

One of two major factions, largely within the Republican party, who opposed the heavy emphasis on patronage and disliked the party machinery because it only permitted bland candidates to rise to the top, was fearful of immigrants, and wanted to see the party take unpopular stances on certain issues. They challenged the Old Guard from around 1896 to the 1930s.

Front 27

*national chair

Back 27

The person responsible for managing the day-to-day work of a national political party. The person is given a full-time, paid position and is elected by the national committee.

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national committee

Back 28

Delegates from each state and territory who manage party affairs between national conventions. These exist at the national level for both major political parties.

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*national party convention

Back 29

The ultimate authority in both major political parties in the United States. The conventions are held every four years to nominate each party’s candidate for the presidency.

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Old Guard

Back 30

One of two major factions, largely within the Republican party, composed of the party regulars and professional politicians. They were preoccupied with building up the party machinery, developing party loyalty, and acquiring and dispensing patronage. They were challenged by progressives from around 1896 to the 1930s.

Front 31

one-issue parties

Back 31

Parties seeking a single policy, usually revealed by their names, and avoiding other issues. An example would be the Free Soil party.

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*personal following

Back 32

A type of local party organization in which a candidate gets people to work for him or her for a campaign and then the organization disbands until the next election. To run this type of campaign, a candidate needs an appealing personality, name recognition, a lot of friends, and a large bank account.

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*plurality system

Back 33

An electoral system in which the winner is that person who gets the most votes, even if they do not constitute a majority of the votes.

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*political machine

Back 34

A political party organization that recruits its members by the use of tangible incentives and is characterized by a high degree of leadership control over members’ activities.

Front 35

*political party

Back 35

A group that seeks to elect candidates to public office by supplying them with a label by which they are known to the electorate

Front 36

second party system

Back 36

The second party structure in the nation’s history, which emerged when Andrew Jackson first ran for the presidency in 1824. The system was built from the bottom-up as political participation became a mass phenomenon.

Front 37

solidary group

Back 37

A political party organization based on gregarious or game-loving instincts. It survives on the basis of a friendship network.