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34 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Suffrage
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the right to vote; also called franchise
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Open primary
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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
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Plurality system
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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
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Proportional representation
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a multiple-member district system that allows each political party representation in proportion to its percentage of the total vote
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Minority district
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a gerrymandered voting district that improves the chances of minority candidates by making selected minority groups the majority within the district
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Straight-ticket voting
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the practice of casting ballots for candidates of only one party
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Coattail effect
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the result of voters casting their ballot for president or governor and "automatically" voting for the remainder of the party's ticket
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Campaign
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an effort by political candidates and their staffs to win the backing of donors, political activists, and voters in the quest for political office
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Incumbent
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a candidate running for a position that he or she already holds
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Caucus (political)
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a normally closed meeting of a political or legislative group to select candidates, plan strategy, or make decisions regarding legislative matters
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Open caucus
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a presidential nominating caucus open to anyone who wishes to attend
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Closed caucus
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a presidential nominating caucus open only to registered party members
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Winner-take-all system
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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
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Platform
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a party document, written at a national convention, that contains party philosophym, principles, and positions on issues
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Unit rule
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the convention voting system under which a state delegation casts all of its votes for the candidate supported by the majority of a state's delegates
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Delegates
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political activists selected to vote at a party's national convention
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Superdelegate
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a convention delegate position, in Democratic conventions, reserved for party officials
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Spot advertisement
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a fifteen-, thirty-, or sixty-second television campaign commercial that permits a candidate's message to be delivered to a target audience
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Town meeting
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a media format in which candidates meet with ordinary citizens. Allows candidates to deliver messages without the presence of journalists or commectators
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Infomercial
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a lengthy campaign advertisement on television
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Soft money
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money contributed directly to political parties for voter registration and organization
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Political action committee (PAC)
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a private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns
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Issue advocacy
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independent spending by individuals or interest groups on a campaign issue but not directly tied to a particular candidate
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Prospective voting
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voting based on the imagined future performance of a candidate
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Retrospective voting
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voting based on the past performance of a candidate
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Midterm elections
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congressional elections that do not coincide with a presidential election; also called off-year elections
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Primary elections
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elections used to select a party's candidate for the general election
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Closed primary
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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
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Referendum
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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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Majority system
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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
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Gerrymandering
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appointment of voters in districts in such a way as to give unfair advantage to one racial or ethnic group or political party
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Benign gerrymandering
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attempts to draw district boundaries so as to create districts made up primarily of disadvantaged or underrepresented minorities
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Split-ticket voting
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the practice of casting ballots for the candidates of at least two different political parties in the same election
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Electoral college
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the presidential electors from each state who meet after the popular election to cast ballots for president and vice president
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