Ktr 11 12 13 14

Front 1

public opinion

Back 1

the collective attitudes and beliefs of individuals on one or more issues

Front 2

public opinion polls

Back 2

scientific efforts to estimate what an entire group thinks about an issue by asking a smaller sample of the group for its opinion

Front 3

sample

Back 3

the portion of the population that is selected to participate in a poll

Front 4

sample bias

Back 4

the effect of having a sample that does not represent all segments of the population

Front 5

straw polls

Back 5

polls that attempt to determine who is ahead in a political race

Front 6

sampling error

Back 6

a number that indicates within what range the results of a poll are accurate

Front 7

random samples

Back 7

samples chosen in such a way that any member of the population being polled has an equal chance of being selected

Front 8

benchmark poll

Back 8

initial poll on a candidate and issues on which campaign strategy is based and against which later polls are compared

Front 9

tracking polls

Back 9

ongoing series of surveys that follow changes in public opinion over time

Front 10

exit polls

Back 10

election-related questions asked of voters right after they vote

Front 11

push polls

Back 11

polls that ask for reactions to hypothetical, often false, information in order to manipulate public opinion

Front 12

political socialization

Back 12

the process by which we learn our political orientations and allegiances

Front 13

spiral of silence

Back 13

the process by which a majority opinion becomes exaggerated because minorities do not feel comfortable speaking out in opposition

Front 14

political generations

Back 14

groups of citizens whose political views have been shaped by the common events of their youth

Front 15

gender gap

Back 15

the tendency of men and women to differ in their political views on some issues

Front 16

marriage gap

Back 16

the tendency for married people to hold political opinions that differ from those of people who have never married

Front 17

rational ignorance

Back 17

the state of being uninformed about politics because of the cost in time and energy

Front 18

on-line processing

Back 18

the ability to receive and evaluate information as events happens, allowing us to remember our evaluation even if we have forgotten the specific events that caused it

Front 19

two-step flow of information

Back 19

the process by which citizens take their political cues from more well-informed opinion leaders

Front 20

opinion leaders

Back 20

people who know more about certain topics than we do and whose advice we trust, seek out, and follow

Front 21

political gridlock

Back 21

the stalemate that occurs when political rivals, especially parties, refuse to budge from their positions to achieve a compromise in the public interest

Front 22

political party

Back 22

a group of citizens by ideology and seeking control of government in order to promote their ideas and policies

Front 23

partisanship

Back 23

loyalty to a political cause or party

Front 24

party organization

Back 24

the official structure that conducts the political business of parties

Front 25

party-in-government

Back 25

members of the party who have been elected to serve in government

Front 26

party-in-the-electorate

Back 26

ordinary citizens who identify with the party

Front 27

party identification

Back 27

voter affiliation with a political party

Front 28

party base

Back 28

members of a political party who consistently vote for that party's candidates

Front 29

responsible party model

Back 29

party government when four conditions are met: clear choice of ideologies, candidates pledged to implement ideas, party held accountable by voters, and party control over members

Front 30

party platform

Back 30

list of policy positions a party endorses and pledges its elected officials to enact

Front 31

party activists

Back 31

"party faithful"; the rank-in-file members who actually carry out the party's electioneering efforts

Front 32

party machines

Back 32

mass-based party systems in which parties provided services and resources to voters in exchange for voters

Front 33

party bosses

Back 33

party leaders, usually in an urban district, who exercised tight control over electioneering and patronage

Front 34

patronage

Back 34

system in which successful party candidates reward supporters with jobs or favors

Front 35

party primary

Back 35

nomination of party candidates by registered party members rather than party bosses

Front 36

party eras

Back 36

extended periods of relative political stability in which one party tends to control both the Presidency and Congress

Front 37

critical election

Back 37

an election signaling a significant change in popular allegiance from one party to another

Front 38

realignment

Back 38

substantial and long-term shift in party allegiance by individuals and groups, usually resulting in a change in policy direction

Front 39

dealignment

Back 39

a trend among voters to identify themselves as independents rather than as members of a major party

Front 40

electioneering

Back 40

the process of getting elected to public office

Front 41

closed primaries

Back 41

primary elections in which only registered party members may vote

Front 42

open primaries

Back 42

primary elections in which eligible voters do not need to be registered party memebers

Front 43

nominating convention

Back 43

formal party gathering to choose candidates

Front 44

soft money

Back 44

unregulated campaign contributions by individuals, groups, or parties that promote general election activities but do not directly support individual candidates

Front 45

governing

Back 45

activities directed toward controlling the distribution of political resources by providing executive and legislative leadership, enacting agendas, mobilizing support, and building coalitions

Front 46

party discipline

Back 46

ability of the party leaders to bring party members in the legislature into line with party program

Front 47

faction

Back 47

a group of citizens united by some common passion or interest and opposed to the rights of other citizens or to the interests of the whole community

Front 48

interest group

Back 48

an organization of individuals who share a common political goal and unite for the purpose of influencing government decisions

Front 49

political action committee

Back 49

the fund-raising arm of an interest group

Front 50

lobbying

Back 50

interest group activities aimed at persuading policymakers to support the groups positions

Front 51

interest group entrepreneurs

Back 51

effective group leaders who are likely to have organized the group and can effectively promote its interests among members and the public

Front 52

free rider problem

Back 52

the difficulty groups face in recruiting when potential members can gain the benefits of the group's actions whether they join or not

Front 53

collective good

Back 53

a good or service that, by its very nature, cannot be denied to anyone who wants to consume it

Front 54

selective incentives

Back 54

benefits that are available only to group members as an inducement to get them to join

Front 55

material benefits

Back 55

selective incentives in the form of tangible rewards

Front 56

solidary benefits

Back 56

selective incentives related to the interaction and bonding among group members

Front 57

expressive benefits

Back 57

selective incentives that derive from the opportunity to express values and beliefs and to be committed to a greater cause

Front 58

economic interest groups

Back 58

groups that organize to influence government policy for the economic benefit of their members

Front 59

equal opportunity interest groups

Back 59

groups that organize to promote the civil and economic rights of underrepresented or disadvantaged groups

Front 60

public interest groups

Back 60

groups that organize to influence government to produce collective goods or services that benefit the general public

Front 61

direct lobbying

Back 61

direct interaction with public officials for the purpose of influencing policy decisions

Front 62

indirect lobbying

Back 62

attempts to influence government policymakers by encouraging the general public to put pressure on them

Front 63

revolving door

Back 63

the tendency of public officials, journalists, an lobbyists to move between public and private sector (media, lobbying) jobs

Front 64

issue advocacy ads

Back 64

advertisements that support issues or candidates without telling constituents how to vote

Front 65

527 groups

Back 65

groups that mobilize voters with issue advocacy advertisements on TV and radio but may not directly advocate the election or defeat of a particular candidate

Front 66

social protest

Back 66

public activities designed to bring attention to political causes, usually generated by those without access to conventional means of expressing their views

Front 67

grassroots lobbying

Back 67

indirect lobbying efforts that spring from widespread public concern

Front 68

astroturf lobbying

Back 68

indirect lobbying efforts that manipulate or create public sentiment, "astroturf" being artificial grassroots

Front 69

political efficacy

Back 69

citizens' feelings of effectiveness in political affairs

Front 70

motor voter bill

Back 70

legislation allowing citizens to register to vote at the same time they apply for a driver's license or other state benefit

Front 71

voter mobilization

Back 71

a party's efforts to inform potential voters about issues and candidates and persuade them to vote

Front 72

social connectedness

Back 72

citizens' involvement in groups and their relationships to their communities and families

Front 73

prospective voting

Back 73

basing voting decisions on well-informed opinions and consideration of the future consequences of a given vote

Front 74

retrospective voting

Back 74

basing voting decisions on reactions to past performance; approving the status quo or signaling a desire for change

Front 75

invisible primary

Back 75

early attempts to raise money, line up campaign consultants, generate media attention, and get commitments for support even before candidates announce they are running

Front 76

party caucus

Back 76

local gathering of party members to choose convention delegates

Front 77

presidential primary

Back 77

an election by which voters choose convention delegates committed to voting for a certain candidate

Front 78

open primary

Back 78

primary election in which eligible voters need not be registered party memebers

Front 79

closed primary

Back 79

primary election in which only registered party members may vote

Front 80

front-loading

Back 80

the process of scheduling presidential presidential primaries early in the primary season

Front 81

front-runner

Back 81

the leading candidate and expected winner of a nomination an election

Front 82

momentum

Back 82

the widely held public perception that a candidate is gaining electoral strength

Front 83

swing voters

Back 83

the approximately one-third of the electorate who are undecided at the start of a campaign

Front 84

oppo research

Back 84

the investigation of an opponents background for the purpose of exploiting weakness or undermining credibility

Front 85

valence issues

Back 85

issues on which most voters and candidates share the same position

Front 86

position issues

Back 86

issues on which the parties after in their perspectives and proposed solutions

Front 87

wedge issue

Back 87

a controversial issue that one party uses to split the voters in the other party

Front 88

issue ownership

Back 88

the tendency of one party to be seen as more competent in a specific policy area

Front 89

negative advertising

Back 89

campaign advertising that emphasizes the negative characteristics of opponents rather than one's own strength

Front 90

government matching funds

Back 90

money given by the federal government to qualified presidential candidates in the primary and general election campigns

Front 91

hard money

Back 91

campaign money donated directly to candidates; amounts are limited by federal election laws

Front 92

soft money

Back 92

unregulated campaign contributions by individuals, groups, or parties that promote general election activities but do not directly support individual candidates

Front 93

issue advocacy ads

Back 93

advertisements paid for by soft money, and thus not regulated, that promote certain issue positions but do not endorse specific candidates

Front 94

get-out-the-vote drives

Back 94

efforts by political parties, interest groups, and the candidate's staff to maximize voter turnout among supporters

Front 95

electoral mandate

Back 95

the perception that an election victory signals broad support for the winner's proposed policies