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31 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
independent |
a voter or candidate who does not identify with a political party |
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political party |
a group of political activists who organize to win elections, operate the government, and determine public policy |
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faction |
a group of bloc in a legislature or political party acting in a pursuit of some special interest or position |
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two party system |
a political system in which only 2 parties have a reasonable chance of winning |
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Era of Good Feelings |
the years 1817-1825, when James Monroe was president and there was, in effect, no political opposition |
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democratic party |
one of the two major American political parties evolving out of the Republican Party of Thomas Jefferson |
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Whig Party |
a major party in the United States during the first half of the 19th century, formally stablished in 1836. anti-Jackson |
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Republican party |
one of the two major political parties. emerged in the 1850s as an antislavery party and consisted of former Northern Whigs and antislavery Democrats |
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Reverse-Income effect |
a tendency for wealthier states to favor the democrats and for less wealthy states to favor the Republicans. the effect appears paradoxical because it reverses traditional patterns of support |
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party in the electorate |
those members of the general public who identify with a political party or who express a preference for one party over another |
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party organization |
the formal structure and leadership of a political party; including election committees, local, state and national executives, and paid professional staff |
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party in the government |
all of the elected and appointed officials who identify with a political party |
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national convention |
the meeting held every 4 years by each major party to select presidential and vice presidential candidates, to write a national committee, and to conduct party business |
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party platfrom |
a document drawn up at each national convention outlining the policies, positions, and principles of the party |
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national committee |
a standing committee of a nation political party established to direct and coordinate party activities between national party conventions |
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state central committee |
a principal organized structure of each political party within each state. this committee is responsible for carrying out policy decisions of the party's state convention |
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unit rule |
a rule by which all of the state's electoral votes are cast for the presidential candidate recieving a plurality of the popular vote in that state |
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patronage |
rewarding faithful party workers and followers with government employment and contracts |
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divided government |
a situation in which one major political party controls the presidency and the other controls the camber of congress, or in which one party controls a state governorship and the other controls in the state legislature |
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ticket splitting |
voting for candidates of two or more parties for different offices |
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safe seat |
a district that returns the legislator with 55% of the vote or more |
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plurality |
a number of votes cast for a candidate that is greater than the number of votes for any other candidate but not necessarily a majority |
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electoral college |
a group or persons called electors, selected by the voters in each state. this group officially elects the president and vice president of the united states |
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third party |
a political party other than the two major political parties |
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splinter party |
a new party formed by a dissident faction within a major political party. often,, splinter parties have emerged when a particular personality was at odds with the major party |
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realignment |
a process in which a substantial group of voters switches party allegiance, producing a long term change in the political landscape |
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dealignment |
a decline in party loyalties that reduces long term party commitment |
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party identification |
linking oneself to a particular political party |
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straight-ticket voting |
voting exclusively for the candidates of one party |
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swing voters |
voters who frequently swing their support from one party to another |
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tipping |
a phenomenon that occurs when a group that is becoming more numerous over time grows large enough to change the political balance in a district, state, or country |