Political Terms and Concepts: A Comprehensive Glossary, Quizzes of Local Government Studies

Download Political Terms and Concepts: A Comprehensive Glossary and more Quizzes Local Government Studies in PDF only on Docsity! TERM 1 activists DEFINITION 1 people who dedicate their time, money and effort to supporting a political party or particular candidate TERM 2 backbenchers DEFINITION 2 legislators who do not hold leadership positions withing their party caucus or conference TERM 3 brand names DEFINITION 3 the use of party names to evoke certain positions or issuesex.- adidas = athletics just as... democrats = universal health care TERM 4 caucus (congressional) DEFINITION 4 the organization of democrats within the House and Senate that meets to discuss and debate the party's positions on various issues in order to reach a consensus and to assign leadership positions TERM 5 caucus (electoral) DEFINITION 5 a local meeting in which party members select the party's nominee for the general election TERM 6 conditional party government DEFINITION 6 the theory that lawmakers from the same political party will cooperate to develop policy proposals TERM 7 conference DEFINITION 7 the organization of republicans within the House and Senate that meets to discuss and debate the party's positions on various issues in order to reach a consensus and to assign leadership positions TERM 8 crosscutting DEFINITION 8 issues that raise disagreements within a party coalition or between political parties about what government should do TERM 9 dealignment DEFINITION 9 a decline in the percentage of citizens who identify with one of the major parties, usually over the course of a decade or longer TERM 10 divided government DEFINITION 10 a situation in which the House, Senate, and Presidency are not controlled by the same party TERM 21 party in power DEFINITION 21 under unified government, the party that controls the House, Senate, and Presidency under divided government, the presidency's power TERM 22 party in the electorate DEFINITION 22 the group of citizens who identify with a specific political party TERM 23 party organization DEFINITION 23 a specific political party's leaders and workers at the national, state and local levels TERM 24 party platform DEFINITION 24 a set of objectives outlining the party's issue positions and prioritiescandidates are not required to support their party's platform TERM 25 party principle DEFINITION 25 the idea that a political party exists as an organization distinct from its elected officials or party leaders TERM 26 party system DEFINITION 26 a period in which the names of the major political parties, their supporters, and the issues dividing them remain relatively stable TERM 27 plurality voting DEFINITION 27 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 of the votes TERM 28 polarized DEFINITION 28 the alignment of both parties' members with their own party's issues and priorities , with little crossover support for the other party's goals TERM 29 political action committee (PAC) DEFINITION 29 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 candidatesthe amount a PAC can receive from each of its donors and the amount it can spend on federal campaigning are strictly limited TERM 30 political machine DEFINITION 30 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 TERM 31 primary DEFINITION 31 a ballot vote in which which citizens select a party's nominee for the general election TERM 32 realignment DEFINITION 32 a change in the sign or composition of the party coalitions or in the nature of the issues that divide the partiesrealignments typically occur within an election cycle or two, but they can also occur gradually over a decade or two TERM 33 responsible parties DEFINITION 33 a system in which each political party's candidates 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 TERM 34 running tally DEFINITION 34 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 TERM 35 single- member districts DEFINITION 35 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