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| The level of public support for expanding the government's role in society; whether the public wants government action on specific issues |
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| The process by which an individual's political opinions are shaped by other people and the surrounding culture |
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| The group of people that a researcher or pollster wants to study, such as evangelicals, senior citizens, or Americans |
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| Citizen's views on politics and government actions |
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| A subsection of a population chosen to participate in a survey through a selection process in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being chosen. This kind of sampling improves the accuracy of public opinion data |
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| Within a population, the group of people surveyed in order to gauge the whole population's opinion. Researchers use samples because it would be impossible to interview the entire population |
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| A calculation that describes what percentage of the people surveyed may not accurately represent the population being studied, increasing the number of respondents lowers the sampling error |
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| The many pieces of information a person uses to form an opinion |
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| A survey response format in which responders select their answers from a range of positions between two extremes |
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| The effect on public opinion when many citizens move away from moderate positions and toward either end of the political spectrum, identifying themselves as either liberal or conservative. |
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| An opinion formed on the spot, when it is needed (as distinct from a deeply held opinions that is stable over time) |
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| Level on Conceptualization |
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| The amount of complexity in an individual's beliefs about government and policy, and the extent to which those beliefs are consistent with each other and remain consistent over time |
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| Liberal-Conservative Ideology |
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| A way of describing political beliefs in terms of a position on the spectrum running from liberal to moderate to conservative |
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| A way to measure public opinion by interviewing a large sample of the population |
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| The influence on public opinion caused by the way a story is presented or covered, including details, explanations, and context offered |
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| Media coverage focused on facts and important news surrounding a campaign |
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| A description of the type of election coverage that focuses more on poll results and speculation about a likely winner than on substantive differences between the candidates. |
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| The idea that supporters of a candidate or issue tend to feel that media coverage is biased against their position, regardless of whether coverage is actually unfair. |
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| Reporters who dig deeply into a particular topic of public concern, often targeting government failures or inefficiencies |
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| The release of either classified or politically embarrassing information by a government employee to a member ofthe press |
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| Media sources that predate the internet, such as newspapers, magazines, TV, and radio |
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| Sources that provide information to the average citizen, such as newspapers, television, radio stations, and websites |
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| Companies that control a large number of media sources across several types of media outlets |
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| The influence of media coverage on average citizens' opinions and actions |
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| The time between the release of information and its publication, like the twenty-four hours between issues of a daily newspaper |
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| Comments a politician makes to thpress on the condition that they can be reported only if they are not attributed to that politician (aka on background) |
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| A type of increasingly popular media coverage focused on political scandals and controversies, which causes a negative public opinion of political figures |
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| communications technologies, such as TV and radio that transmit over airways |
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| By-product Theory of Information Transmission |
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| The idea that many Americans acquire political information unintentionally rather than by seeking it out |
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| The trend towards single-company ownership of several media sources in an area |
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| The trend toward single-company ownership of several kinds of media outlets |
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| An FCC regulation requiring broadcast media to provide equal airtime on any non-news program to all candidates running for an office |
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| An FCC regulation requiring broadcast media to present several points off view to ensure a more balanced coverage. Created in 1940s, eliminated in 1987 |
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| FCC (Federal Communications Commission) |
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| Government agency created in 1934 to regulate American radio stations and later expanded to regulate television, wireless communications technologies, and other broadcast media |
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| The influence on public opinion that results from journalists' and editors' decisions about which of many potential news stories to report |
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| Comments a politician makes to the press on the condition that they can be reported only if they are not attributed to said politician (also known as "off the record") |
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| Newspapers sold for a penny in the 1830s, when more efficient printing presses made reduced-price newspapers available to larger segments of the population |
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| An event at which a politician speaks to journalists and, in most cases, answers questions afterwords. |
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| evening hours when TV viewership is at its highest and networks often schedule news programs |
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| The influence on the public's general impressions caused by positive or negative coverage of a candidate or issue |
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| Legislation, which exists in some states but not at the federal level that gives reporters the right to refuse to name the sources of their information |
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| an imbalance in a story that covers one candidate or policy favorably without providing similar coverage of the other side |
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| Media coverage that aims to entertain or shock, often through sensationalized reporting or by focusing on a candidate or politician's personality |
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| An organization that gathers news and sells it to other media outlets. THe invention of the telegraph in the early 1800s made this service possible |
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| A style of newspaper popular in the late 1800s that featured sensationalized stories, bold headlines, and illustrations to increase readership |
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| The principle that in a democracy with single-member districts and plurality voting, like the US, only two parties candidates will have a realistic chance of winning political office |
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| a tax-exempt group focused primarily to influence elections through voter mobilization efforts and issue ads that do not directly endorse or oppose a candidate. Unlike PACS, 52's are not subject to contribution limits and spending caps |
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| An American political party's principal organization, comprised of party representatives from each state |
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| The assemblage of groups who aligned with and supported the Democrat Party in support of New Deal policies during the fifth party system, including blacks, Catholics, Jews, unions, and white southerners |
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| groups of people who belong to, candidates of, or work for a political party, but do not necessarily work together or hold similar policy preferences |
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| A meeting held by each party every four years at which states' delegates select the party's presidential and vice-presidential nominees and approve the party platform |
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| The role of the parties in recruiting, training, fund raising, and campaigning for congressional and presidential candidates. This aspect of party organization grew more prominent during the sixth party system |
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| The group that identify with a political party, usually described in demographic terms such as black Democrats or evangelical Republicans |
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| A citizen's loyalty to a specific political party |
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| The group of officeholders who belong to a specific political party and were elected as candidates of that party |
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| Under unified government, the party that controls the House, Senate, and the Presidency. Under divided government, the President's party |
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| The group of citizens who identity with a specific political party |
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| A specific political party's leaders and workers at all levels |
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| A set of objectives outlining the party's issue positions and priorities. Candidates are not required to support their party's platforms |
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| The idea that a political party exists as an organization distinct from its elected officials or party leaders |
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| A period in which the names of the major political parties, their supporters, and the issues dividing them remain relatively stable |
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| A voting system in which the candidate who receives the most votes within a geographic area wins the election, regardless of whether that candidate wins a majority (more than half) of the votes |
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| The alignment of both parties' members with their own party's issues and priorities, with little crossover support for the other party's goals |
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| Political Action Committee (PAC) |
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| An interest group or a division of an interest group that can raise money to contribute to campaigns or to spend on ads in support of a candidate. The amount a PAC can receive from each of its donors and the amount it can spend on federal campaigning are strictly limited |
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| An unofficial patronage system within a political party that seeks to gain political power and government contracts, jobs, and other benefits for party leaders, workers, and supporters |
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| A ballot vote in which citizens select a party's nominee for general election |
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| A change in the size of composition of the party coalitions or in the nature of the issues that divide the parties. Realignments typically occur within an election cycle or two, but they can also occur gradually over the course of a decade or longer |
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| A system in which each political party's cnadidates campaign on the party platform, work together in office to implement the platform, and are judged by voters based on whether they achieved the platform's objectives |
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| A frequently updated mental record that a person uses to incorporate new information, like the information that leads a citizen to identify with a particular political party |
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| An electoral system in which every elected official represents a geographically defined area, such as a state or congressional district, and each area elects one representative |
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| The practice of rewarding party supporters with benefits like federal government positions |
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| A situation in which one party holds a majority of seats in the House and Senate and the President is a member of the same party |
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| People who dedicate their time, effort, and money to supporting a political party or particular candidate |
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| Legislatures who do not hold leadership positions within their party caucus or conference |
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| The use of party names to evoke certain positions or issues. For example, "Adidas" might immediately call to mind athletics in the same way that Democrats might remind you of environmental policies or health care |
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| Conditional Party Government |
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| The theory that lawmakers from the same party will cooperate to develop policy proposals |
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| The organization of Republicans wihtin the House and Senate that meets tuss and debate the party's positions on various issues in order to reach a consensus and to assign leadership positions |
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| Issues that raise disagreements within a party coalition or between political parties about what government should do |
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| A decline in the percentage of citizens who identify with one of the major parties, usually over the course of a decade or longer |
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| A situation in which the House, Senate, and Presidency are not controlled by the same party |
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| "Get Out the Vote", to ensure their supporters vote on election day (also known as "ground game") |
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| Donations that are used to help elect or defeat a specific candidate |
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| A politician running for reelection to the office he or she currently holds |
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| People who are well informed about their own policy preferences and knowledgeable about the candidates, and who use all of this information when they decide how to vote |
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| A voting system in which a candidate must win more than 50% of votes to win the election. If no candidate wins enough votes to take office, a runoff election is held between the top two vote-getters |
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| Motivating supporters to vote in an election and, in some cases, helping them get to the polls on Election Day |
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| 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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| A typical congressional election in which the reelection rate is high, and the influences on House and Senate contests are largely local |
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| A primary election in which any registered voter can participate in the contest, regardless of affiliation |
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| An elected position for which there is no incumbent |
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| Attempts by a candidate's campaign or other groups of supporters to uncover embarrassing or politically damaging information about the candidate's opponent |
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| The question of why citizens vote even though their individual votes stand little chance of changing the election outcome |
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| The proportions of seats in the House and Senate that are controlled by each major party |
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| The actions officeholders take throughout the election cycle to build support for their reelection |
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| A voting system in which the candidate who receives the most votes within a geographic area wins the election, regardless of whether that candidate wins a majority |
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| Attempts by elected officials to manipulate the economy before elections by increasing economic growth and reducing unemployment and inflation, with the goal of improving evaluations of their performance in office |
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| The votes cast by citizens in an election |
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| A ballot vote in which citizens select a party's nominee for the general election |
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| During the presidential primaries, the practice of determining the number of convention delegates alloted to each candidate based on the percentage of the popular vote cast for each candidate. All Democrat primaries and caucuses use this system, as do some states' Republican primaries and caucuses |
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| A type of survey in which the questions are presented in a biased way in an attempt to influence the respondent |
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| A vote likely to be consistent with the voter's true preference for one candidate over the others |
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| A practice whereby several states in the same area of the country hold presidential primaries or caucuses on the same day |
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| A mode of campaigning in which a candidate or campaign staff contacts citizens directly, as would happen at a rally, a talk before a small group, or a one-on-one meeting between a candidate and a citizen |
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| Retrospective Evaluations |
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| A citizen's judgment of an officeholder's job performance since the last election |
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| Under a majority voting system, a second election held only if no candidate wins majority of the votes in the first general election. only the top two vote-getters in the first election compete in the runoff |
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| A change in the number of seats held by Republicans and Democrats in the House or Senate |
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| Contributions that can be used for voter mobilization or to promote a policy proposal or point of view, as long as these efforts are not tied to supporting or opposing a specific candidate |
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| A ballot on which a voter selects candidates from more than one political party |
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| A ballot on which a voter selects candidates from only one political party |
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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 (Republicans do not have superdelegates). Unlike delegates selected in primaries or caucuses, superdelegates are not committed to a particular candidate and can exercise their judgment when deciding how to vote at a convention |
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| In a presidential race, highly competitive states in which both major party candidates stand a good chance of winning the state's electoral votes |
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| The percentage of voting-aged population who cast a ballot in a given election |
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| Casting a ballot that is either incomplete or cannot be counted |
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| Pieces of information about a candidate that are readily available, easy to interpret, and lead a citizen to decide to vote for a particular candidate |
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| A mode of campaigning that involves indirect contact with citizens, such as running campaign ads |
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| During the Presidential primaries, the practice of assigning all of a given state's delegates to the candidate who receives the most popular votes. Some states' Republican primaries and caucuses use this system |
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| A voting ballot submitted by mail before an election. Voters use absentee ballots if they will be unable to go to the polls on Election day |
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| Campaign advertising that criticizes a candidate's opponent, typically by making potentially damaging claims about the opponents background or record, rather than focusing on positive reasons to vote for the candidate |
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| A candidate's description of his or her issue positions and the kinds of policies he or she will seek to enact while in office |
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| A primary election in which only registered members of a particular political party can vote |
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| The idea that a popular president can generate additional support for candidates affiliated with his party. Coattails are weak or nonexistant in most American elections |
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| Individuals who attend their party's national convention and vote to select their party's nominee for presidency. Delegates are elected in a series of primaries and caucuses that occur during winter and spring of an election year |
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| The two-year period between general elections |
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| The body that votes to select America's president and vice president based on the popular vote of each state. Each candidate nominates a state of electors who are selected to attend the meeting of the college if their candidate wins the most votes in a state or district |
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| Votes by members of the electoral college; after a presidentail candidate wins the popular vote in a given state, that candidate's slate of electors cast electoral votes for the candidate on behalf of that state |
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| Federal Elections Commission |
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| The government agnecy that enforces and regulates election laws; made up of six presidential appointees of whom no more than three can be members of the same party |
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| The election in which voters cast ballots for House members, senators, and President and Vice President |
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| The tactics employed outside DC by interest groups seeking to achieve their policy goals |
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| Interest groups whose members are businesses or other organizations rather than individuals |
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| Satisfaction derived from the experience working toward a desired policy goal, even if the goal is not achieved |
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| A direct vote by citizens on a policy change proposed by a legislature or another government body. Referenda are common in state and local elections, but there is no mechanism for a national-level referendum |
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| The movement of individuals from government positions to jobs with interest groups or lobbyist groups, or vice versa |
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| The level of familiarity with an interest group's goals among the general population |
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| Benefits that can motivate participation in a group effort because they are available only to chose who participate, such as member services offered by interest groups |
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| A type of interest groups that has a narrowly focused goal, seeking change on a single topic, government program, or piece of legislation |
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| satisfaction derived from the expense of working with like-minded people, even if the group's efforts do not achieve the desired impact |
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| An interest group strategy that involves donating money to the winning candidate after an election in hopes of securing a meeting with the person when he or she enters office |
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| An interest group composed of companies in the same business or industry (the same "trade") that lobbies for policies that benefits members of the group |
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| Any lobbying method initiated by interest groups that is designed to look spontaneous, independent participation of many individuals |
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| Interest groups that have a headquarters, usually in DC, as well as members and field offices throughout the country. IN general, these groups' lobbying decisions are made at headquarters by the leaders |
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| A method of eliminating nonparticipation or free riding by potential group members by requesting participation, as in many labor unions |
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| Interest groups made up of several independent, local organizations that provide much of their funding and hold most of the power |
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| Attempts by interest group staff to influence policy by speaking with elected officials or bureaucrats |
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| A type of interest group that seeks public policies that provide monetary benefits to its members |
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| A tax code classification that applies to most interest groups; this designation makes donations to the group tax-deductible but limits the groups' political activities |
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| A tax-exempt group formed primarily to influence elections through voter mobilization efforts and issue ads that do not directly endorse or oppose a candidate. |
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| The practice of relying on others to contribute to a collective effort while failing to participate on one's own behalf, yet still benefiting from the group's successes |
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| A lobbying strategy that relies on participation by group members such as a protest or letter-writing campaign |
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| A direct vote by citizens on a policy change proposed by fellow citizens or organized groups outside government. Getting a question on the ballot typically requires collecting a set number of signatures from registered voters in support of the proposal. There is no mechanism for a national-level initiative |
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| The tactics employed within DC by interest groups seeking to achieve their policy goals |
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| Interest Group Entrepereneurs |
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| A government in which most policy decisions are determined by the influence of interest groups |
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| An organization of people who share a common political interest and aim to influence public policy by electioneering and lobbying |
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| A group of politically like-minded people that is not represented by an interest group |
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| Efforts to influence public policy through contact with public officials on behalf of the interest group |
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