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82 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Political Party
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An organization that sponsors candidates for political office under the organization's name.
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Nomination
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Designation as an official candidate of a political party
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Political System
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A set of interrelated institutions that links people with government.
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electoral college
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A body of electors chosen by voters to cast ballots for president and vice president.
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Caucus
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A closed meeting of the members of a political party to decide questions of policy and the selection of candidates for office.
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National Convention
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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.
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Party Platform
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The statement of policies of a national political party.
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critical Election
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An election that produces a sharp change existing pattern of party loyalties among groups of voters.
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Electoral Reallignment
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The change in voting patterns that occurs after a critical election.
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Two-party system
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A political system in which two major political parties compete for control of the government.
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Electoral Dealignment
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A lesening of the importantce of party loyalties in voting decisions.
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Majority Representation
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The system by which one office, contested by two or more candidates, is won by the single candidate who collects the most votes.
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Proportional representation
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The system by which legislative seats are awarded to a party in proportion to the vote that party wins in an election.
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Party Identification
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A voter's sense of psychological attachment to a party.
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National Committee
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A committee of a political party composed of party chairpersons and party officials from every state.
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Party Conference
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A meeting to select party leaders and decide committee assignments
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Congressional Campaign Committee
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An organization maintained by a political party to raise funds to support it's own candidates in congressional elections.
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Party Machine
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A centralized party organization that dominates local politics by controlling elections.
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Responsible Party Government
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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 |
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Election Campaign
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An Organized effort to persuade voters to choose one candidate over others competing for the same office.
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Primary Election
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A preliminary election conducted within a political party to select candidates who will run for public office in a subsequent election.
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Closed primary
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Only members of specific party can vote in a primary.
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Open primary
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All citizens can vote in a primary. Even members of the opposite party.
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Modified closed primary
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a primary election that allows individual state parties to decide whether or not they allow independents to vote.
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Modified Open Primary
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A primary election thhat allows independents to vote in a party's primary.
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Convention/Caucus
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a method used to select delegates to attend a party's national convention.
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front-loading
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states' practice of moving delegate selection primaries and caucuses earlier in the calendar year to gain media and candidate attention.
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General Election
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A national election held by law in november of every even numbered year.
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straight ticket
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In voting, a single party's candidates for all the offices.
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split ticket
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Voting different candidates for different parties in the election
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Open election
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an election that lacks an incumbent.
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Federal Election Commission
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regulates financing of national campaigns.
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hard money
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Financial Contributions given directly to a candidate running for office
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soft money
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Financial Contributions to party committees for capital and operational expenses.
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interest group
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an organized group of individuals that seeks to influence public policy. Aka a lobby.
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lobbyist
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A representative of an interest group
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agenda building
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The process by which new issues are brought into the political limelight
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Program monitoring
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Keeping track of government programs; usually done by interest groups.
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interest group entrepreneur
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an interest group organizer or leader.
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interest group
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an organized group of individuals that seeks to influence public policy. Aka a lobby.
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free-rider problem
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The situation in which people benefit from activities of an organization but do not contribute to those activities.
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lobbyist
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A representative of an interest group
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trade association
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An organization that represents firms within a particular industry.
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agenda building
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The process by which new issues are brought into the political limelight
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Political Action Committee
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An organization that pools campaign contributions from group members and donates those funds to candidates for political office.
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Program monitoring
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Keeping track of government programs; usually done by interest groups.
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Direct Lobbying
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Attempts to influence a legislators vote through personal contact with the legislator.
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interest group entrepreneur
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an interest group organizer or leader.
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grassroots lobbying
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Lobbying activities performed by rank-and-file interest group members and would-be members.
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free-rider problem
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The situation in which people benefit from activities of an organization but do not contribute to those activities.
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information campaign
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An organized effort to gain public backing by bringing a group's views to public attention.
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trade association
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An organization that represents firms within a particular industry.
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Coalition Building
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The banding together of several interest groups for the purpose of lobbying.
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Political Action Committee
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An organization that pools campaign contributions from group members and donates those funds to candidates for political office.
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Citizen group
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Lobbying organization built around policy concerns unrelated to member's vocational interests.
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Direct Lobbying
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Attempts to influence a legislators vote through personal contact with the legislator.
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grassroots lobbying
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Lobbying activities performed by rank-and-file interest group members and would-be members.
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information campaign
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An organized effort to gain public backing by bringing a group's views to public attention.
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Coalition Building
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The banding together of several interest groups for the purpose of lobbying.
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Citizen group
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Lobbying organization built around policy concerns unrelated to member's vocational interests.
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reapportionment
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redistribution of representatives among the states based on population change. It is done after each census.
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Impeachment
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The formal charging of a government official with "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors."
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incumbent
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a current office holder
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Gerrymandering
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Redrawing a congressional district to intentionally benefit one political party
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casework
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solving problems for constituents, especially problems involving government agencies.
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Descriptive Representation
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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.
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Racial Gerrymadnering
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the drawing of a legislative district to maximize the chance that a minority candidate will win an election.
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Veto
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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.
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Pocket Veto
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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.
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Standing committee
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A permanent congressional committee that specializes in a particular policy area.
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Joint committee
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A committee made up of members of both houses of congress.
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Select Committee
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A temporary congressional committee created for a specific purpose and disbanded once that purpose is fulfilled.
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conference committee
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A temporary committee created to work out the differences between houses of congress when there are two versions of the same bill.
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oversight
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the process of reviewing the operations of an agency to determine whether it is carrying out policies as congress intended.
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Speaker of the House
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The presiding officer of the house of representatives
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Majority Leader
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The head of the majority party in the senate. the second highest ranking member of the majority party in the house.
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Cloture
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the machanism by which a filibuster is cut off in the senate.
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constituents
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people who live and vote in a government official's district or state.
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trustee
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A representative who is obligated to vote according to those views if he or she believes they are misguided.
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delegate
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A legislator whose primary responsibility is to represent the majority view of his or her constituents regardless of his or her own view.
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parliamentary system
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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.
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earmarks
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Federal Funds appropriated by congress for use on local projects.
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