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POLS test 3
POLS terms test 3
42
Political Studies
Undergraduate 2
12/05/2010

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Term
access
Definition
a politician's ear; "access" to more influence to politicians
Term
cantidate
Definition
a person who can be portrayed as sufficiently qualified and trustworthy for the job
Term
coordinated spending
Definition
Spending by the Democratic and Republican Party committees on behalf of individual congressional candidates
Term
independent spending
Definition
Campaign Spending-by a person or organization for or against a political candidate- that is not controlled by or coordinated with any candidate' campaign
Term
issue voting
Definition
Voting for candidates based on their positions on specific issues, as opposed to their party or personnel characteristics 
Term
message
Definition
In a political campaign, the central thematic statement of why voters ought to prefer one candidate over others
Term
mobilization
Definition
Also known as, "getting out the vote." Mobilization occurs when activists working for parties, candidates, or interest groups ask members of the electorate to vote
Term
negative campaigning 
Definition
The act of attacking an opposing candidate's platform, past political performance, or personal characteristics
Term
open seat
Definition
A seat in a state or district being contested by candidates, none of whom none currently holds the office.  Congressional seats become "open" when the incumbent dies or does not run reelection.  
Term
Party Identification
Definition
An individual's enduring affective or instrumental attachment to one of the political parties; the most accurate single predictor of voting behavior
Term
Party Label
Definition
A label carrying the party's "brand name," incorporating the policy positions and past performance voters attributes to it.  
Term
Performance Voting
Definition
Basing votes for a candidate or party on how successfully the candidate or party performed while in office
Term
single-issue voters
Definition
People who base their votes on candidates' or parties' positions on one particular issue or public policy, regardless of the candidates' or parties' positions on other issues
Term
soft money
Definition
Money used by political parties for voter registration, public education, and voter mobilization.  Until 2002, when Congress passed legislation outlawing soft money, the government had imposed no limits on contributions or expenditures for such purposes
Term
suffrage
Definition
any right to vote
Term
Australian Ballot
Definition
A ballot prepared and distributed by government officials that places the names of all candidates on a single list and is filled out by voters in private.  First adopted in the United States in 1888, the Australian ballot replaced oral voting and party-supplied ballots.
Term
Caucus
Definition
A closed meeting of a political or legislative group to choose candidates for office or to decide issues of policy
Term
Divided Government
Definition
A term used to describe government when one political party controls the executive branch and the other political party controls one or both houses of the legislature
Term
Fusion Tickets
Definition
Slates of candidates that "fused" the nominees of minor and major parties.  Fusion tickets, eventually banned by state legislatures, allowed minor parties to boost their votes by nominating candidates also nominated by major parties
Term
national party convention
Definition
A gathering of delegates to select a party's presidential or vice presidential ticket and to adopt its national platform
Term
New Deal Coalition
Definition
An electoral alliance that was the basis of Democratic dominance from the 1930's to the early 1970s.  The alliance consisted of Catholics, Jews, racial minorities, urban residents, organized labor, and white southerners
Term
Party Machine
Definition
State or local party organizations based on patronage.  the work to elect candidates to public offices that control government jobs and contracts, which, in turn, are used by party leaders (often denigrated as "bosses") to reward the subleaders  and activists who mobilize voters for the party or election day
Term
Patronage
Definition
The practice of rewarding jobs, grants, licenses, or other special favors in exchange for political support
Term
Political Party
Definition
A coalition of people who seek to control the machinery of government by winning elections.  Not specifically mentioned in the Constitution, political parties make mass democracy possible by, among other functions, coordinating the group activities necessary to translate public preferences into public policy
Term
Primary election
Definition
An election held before the general election in which voters decide which of a party's candidates will be the party's nominee for the general election
Term
Progressive Era
Definition
A period of American History extending roughly from 1880 to 1920 and associated with the reform of government and electoral institutions in an attempt to reduce corruption and weaken parties
Term
Proportional Representation
Definition
An electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded to candidates or parties in proportion to the percentage of votes received
Term
Split Ticket
Definition
The act of voting for candidates from different political parties for different offices- for example, voting for a Republican for president and a Democrat for Senator
Term
Superdelegates
Definition
A delegate to the democratic national convention who is eligible to attend because he or she is an elected party official. The Democrats reserve a specific set of delegate slots for party officials
Term
Two-Party System
Definition
A political system in which only two major parties compete for all of the elective offices.  Third-party candidates usually have few, if any, chances of winning elective party.  
Term
Grassroots Lobbying
Definition
Lobbying conducted by rank-and-file members of an interest group
Term
Insider/Direct tactics
Definition
Interest group activity that includes normal lobbying on Capitol Hill, working closely with members of Congress, and contributing money to incumbents' campaigns.  Contrasts with outsider tactics
Term
Interest Groups
Definition
Organized groups of people seeking to influence public policy
Term
Lobbying
Definition
Activities through which individuals, interest groups, and other institutions seek to influence public policy by persuading government officials to support their groups' position
Term
Lobbyists
Definition
Professionals who work to influence public policy by persuading government officials to support their groups' position
Term
Moral incentives
Definition
The personal satisfactions of active self-expression through contribution or other involvement to social causes
Term
Outsider/indirect tactics
Definition
Interest group activities designed to influence elected officials by threatening to impose political costs on them if they do not respond.  Tactics include marches, demonstration, campaign contributions to opponents, and electoral mobilization
Term
Policy Gridlock
Definition
Political Paralysis in the face of pressing national problems
Term
Public Interest Lobby
Definition
A group that promotes some conception of the public interest rather than the narrowly defined economic or other special interests of its members
Term
Selective Incentitives
Definition
Private goods or benefits that induce rational actors to participate in a collective effort to provide a collective good
Term
social movements
Definition
Amorphous aggregates of people sharing general values and a desire for social change
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