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.