We The People Ch. 12

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 staffs to win the backing of donors, political activists, and voters in the 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

527 Committee-

Back 9

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 10

Gerrymandering-

Back 10

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

Front 11

Incumbent-

Back 11

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

Front 12

Infomercial-

Back 12

a lengthy campaign advertisement on television

Front 13

Issue Advocacy-

Back 13

independent spending by individuals or interest groups on a campaign issue but not directly tied to a particular candidate

Front 14

Majority System-

Back 14

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 15

Midterm Elections-

Back 15

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

Front 16

Minority District-

Back 16

a gerrymandered voting district that improves the chances of minority candidates by making selected minority groups the majority within the district

Front 17

Open Caucus-

Back 17

a presidential nominating caucus open to anyone who wishes to attend

Front 18

Open Primary-

Back 18

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 19

Platform-

Back 19

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

Front 20

Plurality System-

Back 20

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 21

Political Action Committee (PAC)-

Back 21

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

Front 22

Primary Elections-

Back 22

elections used to select a party’s candidate for the general election

Front 23

Proportional Representation-

Back 23

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

Front 24

Prospective Voting-

Back 24

voting based on the imagined future performance of a candidate

Front 25

Recall-

Back 25

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

Front 26

Redistricting-

Back 26

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 27

Referendum-

Back 27

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

Front 28

Retrospective Voting-

Back 28

voting based on the past performance of a candidate

Front 29

Soft Money-

Back 29

money contributed directly to political parties for voter registration and organization

Front 30

Split-ticket Voting-

Back 30

the practice of casting ballots for the candidates of at least two different political parties in the same election

Front 31

Spot Advertisement-

Back 31

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

Front 32

Straight-ticket Voting-

Back 32

the practice of casting ballots for candidates of only one party

Front 33

Suffrage-

Back 33

the right to vote; also called franchise

Front 34

Superdelegate-

Back 34

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

Front 35

Town Meeting-

Back 35

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

Front 36

Unit Rule-

Back 36

the convention voting system under which a state delegation casts all of its votes for the candidate supported by the majority of the state’s delegates

Front 37

Winner-take-all System-

Back 37

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