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Definition
| the selection of a particular candidate to run for office in a general election as a representative of his or her political party |
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| National Party Convention |
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Definition
| convention held every four years in which the two major parties nominate the presidental and vice presidential candidate |
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Definition
| a ballot vote in which citizens select a party's nominee for the general presidential election |
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| Democratic members of Congress and party officials selected by their colleagues to be delegates at the party's presidential nominating convention; they are not committed to a particular candidate |
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| states move their presidential primaries or caucuses to take place earlier in the nomination process, often in the hopes of exerting more political influence |
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| a proposal to have all the primaries and caucuses occur on the same day |
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| a group of states within a region have their own primary on the same day |
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| set of objective outlining the party's issue positions and priorities - although candidates are not required to support their partie's platform |
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| Federal Election Campaighn Act |
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Definition
| law used to increase disclosure of campaign contributions and prohibit monetary contributions from corporations and labor unions |
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Term
| Federal Election Commission |
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Definition
| government agency that enforces and regulates campaign finance laws; made up of six presidential appointees, of whom no more than three can be members of one party |
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| Presidential Election Campaign Fund |
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Definition
| Program through the FEC that allows public citizens to contribute money to presidential campaigns |
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Term
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Definition
| small amounts of money come from beneficiaries to use for the common good |
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Term
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Definition
| contributions that may be used for voter mobilization or to promote a policy proposal or point of view unless partial to a particular party or candidate |
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Term
| Political Actions Committee |
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Definition
| interest group that raises money for a particular candidate through limited funding |
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Definition
| ballot submitted by mail before an election if one is unable to go to the polling place on Election Day |
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Term
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| the idea that a popular president can generate additional support for candidates affiliated with his party; weak or nonexistent strategy in U.S. politics |
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Term
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Definition
| individuals who attend their party's national convention and vote to select their party's nominee for president; they are usually elected in a series of primaries and caucuses in an election year |
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Term
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Definition
| the time interval between elections in which new leaders are selected |
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Term
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Definition
| body that votes to select America's president and vice president based on the popular vote in each state; each candidate nominates a group of electors selected to attend the meeting of their college if their candidate wins the most votes in their area |
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Term
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Definition
| votes cast by members of the electoral college; after a presidential candidate wins the popular vote, that candidate's group opf electors will cast electoral votes in their state for the candidate |
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| donations used to help elect or defeat a certain candidate |
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Term
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| politician running for reelection in the office they currently hold |
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Term
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Definition
| primary election in which any registered voter can participate in the contest |
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Definition
| primary election in which only registered members of a specific party can vote |
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Definition
| voting system in which the candidate who receives the most votes in a geographic location wins an election |
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Definition
| votes cast by citizens in an election |
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| type of survey in which the questions are presented in a biased way to influence a certain response |
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| contributions that can be used to support a policy proposal or influence voter mobilization |
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Definition
| percent of registered voters who cast their ballots in a given election |
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