Unit 2 Vocab: Campaign Process

Front 1

2002 Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act (McCain-Feingold Act)

Back 1

Banned use of soft money, restored prohibition on labor unions and corporation funds using general treasure funds for electoral purposes.

Front 2

527 Groups

Back 2

Interest groups organized under section 527 of the International Revenue Code may advertise for/against candidates.

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Blue State

Back 3

States where democratic candidate carries electoral vote.

Front 4

Campaign Contributions/Donations

Back 4

Giving money to someone who is running for office.

Front 5

Campaign Manager

Back 5

Paid/volunteer individual who coordinates a campaign's operations such as fundraising, advertising, etc.

Front 6

Campaign Spots/Ads

Back 6

Shorts Ads for candidates

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Challenger (Candidate)

Back 7

self explanatory

Front 8

Citizens United V. Federal Elections Commission

Back 8

Dealt with regulation of campaign spending by organizations. Gave corporations green light to spend unlimited sums on ads and other political tools.

Front 9

Coattail Effect

Back 9

Boost that candidates may get because of popularity of candidates above them, esp. the president.

Front 10

Congressional Redistricting

Back 10

Drawing/redrawing of House/Congressional (not Senate) district lines.

Front 11

Federal Election Campaign Act (1974)

Back 11

Amended in 1974 to place legal limits on campaign contributions.

Front 12

Federal Election Commission (FEC)

Back 12

Independent regulatory agency regulating the campaign finance legislation in the U.S.

Front 13

Free Rider Problem

Back 13

when those who benefit from resources do not pay for them, which results in an under-provision of those goods or services.

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Front-Loaded Campaign

Back 14

Arrange/plan a campaign so that a large portion of activity occurs in an early period

Front 15

Front-Loading Primaries

Back 15

Decision to move a primary date to the beginning (front) of the presidential nomination season.

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General Election

Back 16

election for candidates in national office

Front 17

Gerrymandering

Back 17

manipulate the boundaries of an electoral constituency so as to favor one party or class

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Get-out-the-vote drive

Back 18

political campaigns aimed at increasing voter turnout

Front 19

hard money

Back 19

Contributions given to a party, candidate, or interest group that are limited in amount and fully disclosed.

Front 20

Incumbent (candidate)

Back 20

Person currently holding office.

Front 21

incumbent advantage

Back 21

Name recognition, easier campaign finance.

Front 22

independent expenditure

Back 22

campaign communication that expressly advocates for the election or defeat of a particular candidate.

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matching funds

Back 23

Funds set to be paid in equal amount to funds from other sources.

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open seat

Back 24

A race without an incumbent.

Front 25

national party convention

Back 25

Convention held every four years by most political parties who will be fielding nominees for U.S. presidential election.

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party machine

Back 26

Organization headed by single boss or small autocratic group that commands enough votes to maintain political and administrative control of a city, county, or state

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political action committee (PAC)

Back 27

organization that raises money privately to influence elections or legislation, esp. at federal level.

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position issue

Back 28

An issue dividing the electorate on which rival parties adopt different policy positions to attract voters

Front 29

proportional representation primary

Back 29

an electoral system designed to represent in a legislative body each political party in proportion to its actual voting strength in the electorate.

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public financing

Back 30

candidates can use U.S. Treasury dollars to fund their campaigns if they agree to a set of rules.

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Purple/Swing State

Back 31

2 political parties have similar levels of support, viewed as important in determining the overall result of a presidential election.

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Red State

Back 32

a US state that predominantly votes for or supports the Republican Party.

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Regional Primary

Back 33

Definition a group of states within a region have their own primary on the same day

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Secular (gradual) realignment

Back 34

Election that brings gradual change in the political system.

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Soft Money

Back 35

a contribution to a political party that is not accounted as going to a particular candidate, thus avoiding various legal limitations.

Front 36

Spin

Back 36

orm of propaganda, achieved through providing an interpretation of an event or campaign to persuade public opinion in favor or against a certain organization or public figure.

Front 37

Stump Speech

Back 37

standard speech used by a politician running for office; a short standardized stump speech that is repeated verbatim to each audience, before opening to questions

Front 38

Super Tuesday

Back 38

a day on which several US states hold primary elections.

Front 39

Superdelegate

Back 39

(in the Democratic Party) an unelected delegate who is free to support any candidate for the presidential nomination at the party's national convention.

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Valence Issue

Back 40

issue about which voters will usually share a common preference.

Front 41

Voter fatigue

Back 41

apathy that the electorate can experience under certain circumstances, one of which could be (in exceptional circumstances) that they are required to vote too often, or that they feel disengaged.

Front 42

whistle-stop train (bus) tour

Back 42

a style of political campaigning where the politician makes a series of brief appearances or speeches at a number of small towns over a short period of time

Front 43

winner-take-all primary

Back 43

in which all of a state's delegates are required to vote for the same candidate.