American Politics Test 2

Front 1

Political Party

Back 1

An organization that sponsors candidates for political office under the organization's name.

Front 2

Nomination

Back 2

Designation as an official candidate of a political party

Front 3

Political System

Back 3

A set of interrelated institutions that links people with government.

Front 4

electoral college

Back 4

A body of electors chosen by voters to cast ballots for president and vice president.

Front 5

Caucus

Back 5

A closed meeting of the members of a political party to decide questions of policy and the selection of candidates for office.

Front 6

National Convention

Back 6

A gathering of delegates of a single political party from across the country to choose candidates for president and vice president and to adopt a party platform.

Front 7

Party Platform

Back 7

The statement of policies of a national political party.

Front 8

critical Election

Back 8

An election that produces a sharp change existing pattern of party loyalties among groups of voters.

Front 9

Electoral Reallignment

Back 9

The change in voting patterns that occurs after a critical election.

Front 10

Two-party system

Back 10

A political system in which two major political parties compete for control of the government.

Front 11

Electoral Dealignment

Back 11

A lesening of the importantce of party loyalties in voting decisions.

Front 12

Majority Representation

Back 12

The system by which one office, contested by two or more candidates, is won by the single candidate who collects the most votes.

Front 13

Proportional representation

Back 13

The system by which legislative seats are awarded to a party in proportion to the vote that party wins in an election.

Front 14

Party Identification

Back 14

A voter's sense of psychological attachment to a party.

Front 15

National Committee

Back 15

A committee of a political party composed of party chairpersons and party officials from every state.

Front 16

Party Conference

Back 16

A meeting to select party leaders and decide committee assignments

Front 17

Congressional Campaign Committee

Back 17

An organization maintained by a political party to raise funds to support it's own candidates in congressional elections.

Front 18

Party Machine

Back 18

A centralized party organization that dominates local politics by controlling elections.

Front 19

Responsible Party Government

Back 19

1. parties should present clear programs to voters.
2. Voters should choose candidates based on party programs
3. The winning party should carry out its programs
4. Voters should hold parties accountable during elections

Front 20

Election Campaign

Back 20

An Organized effort to persuade voters to choose one candidate over others competing for the same office.

Front 21

Primary Election

Back 21

A preliminary election conducted within a political party to select candidates who will run for public office in a subsequent election.

Front 22

Closed primary

Back 22

Only members of specific party can vote in a primary.

Front 23

Open primary

Back 23

All citizens can vote in a primary. Even members of the opposite party.

Front 24

Modified closed primary

Back 24

a primary election that allows individual state parties to decide whether or not they allow independents to vote.

Front 25

Modified Open Primary

Back 25

A primary election thhat allows independents to vote in a party's primary.

Front 26

Convention/Caucus

Back 26

a method used to select delegates to attend a party's national convention.

Front 27

front-loading

Back 27

states' practice of moving delegate selection primaries and caucuses earlier in the calendar year to gain media and candidate attention.

Front 28

General Election

Back 28

A national election held by law in november of every even numbered year.

Front 29

straight ticket

Back 29

In voting, a single party's candidates for all the offices.

Front 30

split ticket

Back 30

Voting different candidates for different parties in the election

Front 31

Open election

Back 31

an election that lacks an incumbent.

Front 32

Federal Election Commission

Back 32

regulates financing of national campaigns.

Front 33

hard money

Back 33

Financial Contributions given directly to a candidate running for office

Front 34

soft money

Back 34

Financial Contributions to party committees for capital and operational expenses.

Front 35

interest group

Back 35

an organized group of individuals that seeks to influence public policy. Aka a lobby.

Front 36

lobbyist

Back 36

A representative of an interest group

Front 37

agenda building

Back 37

The process by which new issues are brought into the political limelight

Front 38

Program monitoring

Back 38

Keeping track of government programs; usually done by interest groups.

Front 39

interest group entrepreneur

Back 39

an interest group organizer or leader.

Front 40

interest group

Back 40

an organized group of individuals that seeks to influence public policy. Aka a lobby.

Front 41

free-rider problem

Back 41

The situation in which people benefit from activities of an organization but do not contribute to those activities.

Front 42

lobbyist

Back 42

A representative of an interest group

Front 43

trade association

Back 43

An organization that represents firms within a particular industry.

Front 44

agenda building

Back 44

The process by which new issues are brought into the political limelight

Front 45

Political Action Committee

Back 45

An organization that pools campaign contributions from group members and donates those funds to candidates for political office.

Front 46

Program monitoring

Back 46

Keeping track of government programs; usually done by interest groups.

Front 47

Direct Lobbying

Back 47

Attempts to influence a legislators vote through personal contact with the legislator.

Front 48

interest group entrepreneur

Back 48

an interest group organizer or leader.

Front 49

grassroots lobbying

Back 49

Lobbying activities performed by rank-and-file interest group members and would-be members.

Front 50

free-rider problem

Back 50

The situation in which people benefit from activities of an organization but do not contribute to those activities.

Front 51

information campaign

Back 51

An organized effort to gain public backing by bringing a group's views to public attention.

Front 52

trade association

Back 52

An organization that represents firms within a particular industry.

Front 53

Coalition Building

Back 53

The banding together of several interest groups for the purpose of lobbying.

Front 54

Political Action Committee

Back 54

An organization that pools campaign contributions from group members and donates those funds to candidates for political office.

Front 55

Citizen group

Back 55

Lobbying organization built around policy concerns unrelated to member's vocational interests.

Front 56

Direct Lobbying

Back 56

Attempts to influence a legislators vote through personal contact with the legislator.

Front 57

grassroots lobbying

Back 57

Lobbying activities performed by rank-and-file interest group members and would-be members.

Front 58

information campaign

Back 58

An organized effort to gain public backing by bringing a group's views to public attention.

Front 59

Coalition Building

Back 59

The banding together of several interest groups for the purpose of lobbying.

Front 60

Citizen group

Back 60

Lobbying organization built around policy concerns unrelated to member's vocational interests.

Front 61

reapportionment

Back 61

redistribution of representatives among the states based on population change. It is done after each census.

Front 62

Impeachment

Back 62

The formal charging of a government official with "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors."

Front 63

incumbent

Back 63

a current office holder

Front 64

Gerrymandering

Back 64

Redrawing a congressional district to intentionally benefit one political party

Front 65

casework

Back 65

solving problems for constituents, especially problems involving government agencies.

Front 66

Descriptive Representation

Back 66

A belief that constituents are most effectively represented by legislators who are similar to them in such key demographic characteristics as race, ethnicity, religion, or gender.

Front 67

Racial Gerrymadnering

Back 67

the drawing of a legislative district to maximize the chance that a minority candidate will win an election.

Front 68

Veto

Back 68

The president's disapproval of a bill that has been passed by both houses of congress. Congress can override a veto with 2/3 majority in both houses.

Front 69

Pocket Veto

Back 69

A means of killing a bill that has been passed by both houses of congress, in which the president does not sign the bill and congress adjourns within ten days of the bill's passage.

Front 70

Standing committee

Back 70

A permanent congressional committee that specializes in a particular policy area.

Front 71

Joint committee

Back 71

A committee made up of members of both houses of congress.

Front 72

Select Committee

Back 72

A temporary congressional committee created for a specific purpose and disbanded once that purpose is fulfilled.

Front 73

conference committee

Back 73

A temporary committee created to work out the differences between houses of congress when there are two versions of the same bill.

Front 74

oversight

Back 74

the process of reviewing the operations of an agency to determine whether it is carrying out policies as congress intended.

Front 75

Speaker of the House

Back 75

The presiding officer of the house of representatives

Front 76

Majority Leader

Back 76

The head of the majority party in the senate. the second highest ranking member of the majority party in the house.

Front 77

Cloture

Back 77

the machanism by which a filibuster is cut off in the senate.

Front 78

constituents

Back 78

people who live and vote in a government official's district or state.

Front 79

trustee

Back 79

A representative who is obligated to vote according to those views if he or she believes they are misguided.

Front 80

delegate

Back 80

A legislator whose primary responsibility is to represent the majority view of his or her constituents regardless of his or her own view.

Front 81

parliamentary system

Back 81

A system of government in which the chief executive is the leader whose party holds the most seats in the legislature after an election or whose party forms a major part of the ruling coalition.

Front 82

earmarks

Back 82

Federal Funds appropriated by congress for use on local projects.