We The People - Chapter 7 Vocab

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Caucus

Back 1

face-to-face meetings of voters enrolled in a party who meet to choose a nominee

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Closed primary

Back 2

a primary election in which only registered members of a political party may vote

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Divided government

Back 3

the condition in American government wherein the presidency is controlled by one party while the opposing party controls one or both houses of Congress

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Electoral college

Back 4

the presidential electors from each state who meet after the popular election to cast ballots for president and vice president

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Electoral realignment

Back 5

the point in history when a new party supplants the ruling party, becoming in turn the dominant political force. In the United States, this has tended to occur roughly every thirty years

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527 committee

Back 6

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

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Incumbent

Back 7

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

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Majority party

Back 8

the party that holds the majority of legislative seats in either the House or the Senate

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Minority party

Back 9

the party that holds a minority of legislative seats in either the House or the Senate

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Multiple-member district

Back 10

an electorate that selects all candidates at large from the whole district; each voter is given the number of votes equivalent to the number of seats to be filled

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Nomination

Back 11

the process through which political parties select their candidates for election to public office

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Open primary

Back 12

a primary election in which registered voters decide on the day of the primary in which party’s primary they will participate

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Party identification

Back 13

an individual voter’s psychological ties to one party or another

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Plurality system

Back 14

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 the votes cast

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Political action committee (PAC)

Back 15

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

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Political parties

Back 16

organized groups that attempt to influence the government by electing their members to important government offices

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Primary elections

Back 17

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

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Proportional representation

Back 18

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

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Recall

Back 19

removal of a public official by popular vote

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Referendum

Back 20

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

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Single-member district

Back 21

an electorate that is allowed to select only one representative from each district; the normal method of representation in the United States

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Suffrage

Back 22

the right to vote; also called franchise

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Third parties

Back 23

parties that organize to compete against the two major American political parties

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Turnout

Back 24

the percentage of eligible individuals who actually vote