UNIT 3 VOCAB STUDYGUIDE 527 groups- Tax-exempt organization named after a section of the United States tax code, which is created to influence the selection, nomination, appointment or defeat of candidates to federal, state, or local office. amicus curiae briefs- A brief presented by someone interested in influencing the outcome of a lawsuit but who is not a party to it. apportionment- The determination of the proportional number of members each state sends to the House of Representatives based on population figures. Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (2002) - Enacted March 27, 2002; regulates the financing of political campaigns. blanket primary- A primary in which voters may pick one candidate for each office without regard to party lines. blog- A type of website or part of a website update with new content from time to time. In relation to government, they are used to express opinions, persuade, spread news, and in response, they affect political campaigns. blogosphere- The world of weblogs. blue states- states that voted Democrat in a presidential election bolter parties- Party that represent constituencies that feel disenfranchised from both of the major parties. broadcast media- A medium that communicates through television or radio. Buckley vs. Valeo (1976) - The court held that political speech is “indispensable to decision making in a democracy, and this is no less true because the speech comes from a corporation rather than an individual.” caucus- A meeting of the members of a legislative body who are members of a particular political party, to select candidates or decide policy. Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission- Ruled that the government cannot regulate the right to political speech in political campaigns, which includes forming organizations and spending unlimited amounts of money for a political candidate or cause. Allowed corporations (including foreign) and labor unions such unlimited contributions. This ruling helped pave the way for super PACs (see below). class actions suits- A lawsuit in which a large group of people bring a claim to court or in which a group of defendants is being sued; can be brought to federal court if claim arises under federal law. closed primary- A primary in which only registered members of a particular political party can vote. coattails- The influence or pulling power of a popular president. congressional campaign committee- Group that works to recruit candidates, raising funds, and organize races in districts that are expected to yield politically close elections. critical election- Election in which there are sharp changes in issues, party leaders, the bases of power of the two parties, and structure or rules of the political system; resulting in a new political power structure that lasts for decades. UNIT 3 VOCAB STUDYGUIDE delegates- party members selected in the primaries or caucuses to cast their ballots at the party convention for a particular candidate running for president. divided government- Describes the situation in which one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress. doctrinal parties- Party that represents an ideology considered too radical by the mainstream parties. electoral college- Consists of the electors appointed by each state who formally elect the President and Vice President. Federal Election Campaign Act (1971) - Enacted February 7, 1972; increased disclosure of contributions for federal campaigns- amended in 1974 to place legal limits on the campaign contributions. free riders- Someone who consumes a resource without paying for it, or pays less than the full cost. front-loading- Scheduling state party caucuses and state primary elections earlier and earlier in advance of the general election in hopes to lead decisive momentum to one or two presidential candidates. general election- A regular election for candidates of office, as opposed to a primary election. gerrymandering- A practice that attempts to establish a political advantage for a particular party or group by manipulating geographic boundaries to create incumbent-protected districts. horse-race journalism- Political journalism of elections that resembles coverage of horse races because of the focus on polling data and public perception instead of candidate policy, and reporting on candidate differences. incumbent- A person already holding office and running for re-election. independent candidates- Candidate that is not affiliated with any political party. influence peddling- Illegal practice of using one’s influence in government or connections with a person in authority to obtain favors or preferential treatment, usually in return for money. interest group- A group whose members controls some field of activity and who have common aims. lame duck- a political officeholder who has not been re-elected and who is simply serving out the remainder of her or his term. linkage institutions- A structure within a society that connects the people to the government such as elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media. lobbying- Seeking to influence a political issue. lobbyist- Some who is employed to persuade legislators to vote for legislation that favors the lobbyist’s employer. malapportionment- Broad variance in the size of electoral constituencies resulting in disproportionate representation for a given voter. mass media- A means of public communication reaching a large audience. UNIT 3 VOCAB STUDYGUIDE McConnell v. Federal Election Commission- Found that the restrictions set forth by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act were necessary to achieve government’ legitimate interest in corruption and prohibited “electioneering communication,” which means money spend on influencing candidate elections. media- The means of mass communication regarded collectively. medium- A material or base on which information is stored or transmitted. national chairperson- Day-to-day party manager elected by a party's national committee. national convention- A convention of a major political party, especially one that nominates a candidate for the presidency. new media- Broad term that implies access to content anytime, anywhere, on any digital device, and interactive feedback, creative participation, and community formation around the media content. non-governmental organizations (NGOs) - Legally constituted organization created by natural or legal citizens that operates independently from the government. open primary- A primary in which voters are not required to declare party affiliation. open seat- refers to a seat in the House of Representatives or the Senate that is to be vacated by the incumbent due to resignation or not running for re-election. party de-alignment- Refers to the weakening ties between two major political parties and the voters; voters increasingly identify themselves as independents. party era- The span of a ruling party from beginning to end. party platform- A list of actions which a political party, candidate, or organization supports in order to appeal to the general public. party realignment- Refers to the switching of voter preference from one party to another. plurality election- Election in which one member is elected at a time and the process is repeated until the number of vacancies is filled. political action committees (PACs) - Private group organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. political parties- Political organization that seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. post-convention bounce- Surge of supports that presidential candidates in a party receive after the televised national convention of that party. primary- A preliminary election to appoint delegates or a party conference or to select the candidates for a presidential election. print media- A medium that communicates through newspaper, magazines, and other printed material. public agenda- Issues and events that the media decides to put the most emphasis on. UNIT 3 VOCAB STUDYGUIDE red states- states that voted Republican in a presidential election redistricting- The process of drawing electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes. safe seat- refers to a seat in the House of Representatives or Senate that stands little chance of being lost by the incumbent or political party. safe-state- A state in which it is virtually guaranteed which political party will win the majority of votes. single-issue parties- Political party that campaigns and supports one essential policy area or idea. soft money- A contribution to a political party that does not have legal limitations (it is not for a specific candidate). sophomore surge- Refers to an increase in votes that congressional candidates usually receive when running for their first re-election. sound bite- A very short piece of a speech taken from a longer speech or interview which considered being most important. split-ticket voting- Refers to a ballot on which the voter has chosen candidates from different political parties. Super PACs- PACs not directly affiliated with a political candidate that can raise unlimited sums from corporations, unions and other groups or individuals. super-delegates- A term for some of the delegates to the Democratic National Convention. swing-state- State in which no single candidate or party has overwhelming support in securing that state’s electoral college votes. think tank- organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most are non-profit groups, while others are operated by the government. third parties- A political party in opposition to the existing two major parties in a two-party system. two-party system- A system where two major political parties dominate voting in nearly all elections at every level of government and as a result, all or nearly all elected offices are members of one of the two major parties. winner-take-all system- where the winner of a state receives all of the delegates of electoral votes. winner-takes-all system- The single winner of an election is the person with the most votes; there is no requirement that the winner gain an absolute majority of votes.