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| a statewide primary election of delegates to a political party's national convention to help a party determine its presidential nominee. Such delegates are either pledged to a particular candidate or unpledged |
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| a paid professional hired to devise a campaign strategy and manage a campaign. Image building is the crucial task of the political consultant |
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| a poll taken for the candidate on a nearly daily basis as election day approaches |
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| a small group of individuals who are led in discussion by a professional consultant to gather opinions and responses to candidates and issues |
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| a series of acts passed by Congress in an attempt to limit and regulate the size and sources of contributions and expenditures in political campaigns |
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| an act passed in 1939 that prohibited a political group from spending more than $3 million in any campaign and limited individual contributions to $5000. The act was designed to control political influence buying |
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| campaign contributions that evade contribution limits by being given to parties and party committees to help fund general party activities |
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| nonregulated contributions from PACs, ideological organizations, and individuals. The groups may spend funds on advertising or other campaign activities so long as those expenditures are not coordinated with those of a candidate |
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| the practice of adding together maximum individual campaign contributions to increase their impact on the candidate |
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| a presidential primary in which contending candidates compete for popular votes but the results have little or no impact on the selection of delegates to the national convention, which is made by the party elite |
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| a party leader or elected official who is given the right to vote at the party's national convention. They are not elected at the state level |
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| a closed meeting of party leaders to select party candidates or to decide on policy; also, a meeting of party members designed to select candidates and propose policies |
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| the presidential candidate who appears to have the most momentum at a given time in the primary season |
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| the date on which a number of presidential primaries are held, including those of most of the southern states |
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| the practice of moving presidential primary elections to the early part of the campaign, to maximize the impact of certain states or regions on the nomination |
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| a committee used by political parties at their national conventions to determine which delegates may participate. The committee inspects the claim of each prospective delegate to be seated as a legitimate representative of his or her state |
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| a person on the partican slate that is selected early in the prsidential election year according to state laws and the applicable political party apparatus. They cast ballots for president and vice president. The number in each state is equal to that state's number of representatvies in both chambers of Congress |
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| a secret ballot prepared, distributed, and tabulated by goernment officials at public expense. Since 1888, all states have used this ballot rather than an open, public ballot |
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| office-block, or Massachusetts, ballot |
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| a form of general election ballot in which candidates for elective office are grouped together under the title of each office. It emphasizes voting for the office and the individual, rather than the party |
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| party-column, or Indiana, ballot |
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| a form of general election ballot in which candidates for elective office are arranged in one column under their respective party labels and symbols. It emphasizes voting for the party, rather than for the office or individual |
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| the influence of a popular candidate on the electoral success of other candidates on the same party ticket |
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| the percentage of citizens taking part in the election process; the number of eligible voters that actually turn out on election day to cast their ballots |
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| rational ignorance effect |
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| when people purposely and rationally decide not to become informed on an issue because they believe that their vote on the issue is not likely to be a deciding one; a lack of incentive to seek the necessary information to cast an intelligent vote |
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| the entry of a person's name onto the list of eligible voters for elections |
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| a category of people within a society who have similar levels of income and similar types of occupations |
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| voting for a candidate based on how he or she stands on a particular issue |
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