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Definition
when a political party brings together different groups and diverse interests into a coalition supporting its overall party program or philosophy
s: the purpose of political parties is to bring people with similar interests together to debate and discuss, turning into a broader vision of public interest. |
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Definition
| a scholarly ideal in which parties fulfill their democratic character by forming consistent + meaningful ideologies + programs that become well known to the voters for implementation of programs and their consequences |
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Term
| dominant two-party system |
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Definition
the idea that Democrats and Republicans together control the electoral machinery and legal frameworks that promote their near monopoly on most political offices. It tends to perpetuate itself through single-member electoral districts, the Electoral College, and control of ballot access
s:it's a rarity in the world. |
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| single-member or winner-take-all electoral system |
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Definition
the principle and practice of electing only one representative for a given electoral district. The winner is the person who wins the plurality of the votes cast.
s: this practice makes it very unlikely that small parties can win any representation, rendering them invisible |
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Term
| proportional representation |
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Definition
an electoral system in which legislators are elected at large and in which parties received electoral representation in proportion to the percentage of total votes they receive
s: this allows third-party supporters win legislative seats proportionate to the share of votes they receive in an election |
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Term
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Definition
the body of electors, whose composition is determined by the results of the general election in each state, that chooses that president and vice president of the United States. Winning candidates must garner a majority of the 538 electoral votes in the Electoral college
s: |
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Term
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Definition
the practice of drawing electoral districts to favor one outcome over another. Used in most states to ensure the reelection of incumbents in both parties.
s:designed to stifle two-party competition, it also helps reinforce a political geography in which third parties have no place |
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Term
| critical (realigning) elections |
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Definition
an election that shapes entire electoral eras; it features increased voter turnout and a reshuffling of the social groups that support each party, resulting in the domination of one party in succeeding elections
s: it can shake up the electorate's existing political allegiances, as the parties respond to new social movements and to groups seeking redress |
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| the long-term domination of one party of most of the political agenda and offices following a critical election |
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Term
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| the electoral era initiated by Rep William McKinley's defeat of Democrat/Populist William Jennings Bryan in 1896. The system featured Democratic control of southern state governments, Republican control of the big states and the national government, as well as low voter turnout and the initiation of restrictions on voter registration of the 1930s |
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Term
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Definition
an election in which voters decide which of a party's candidates will be nominated to run for office in the general election . Closed primaries permit only those registered in a particular party to participate. open primaries leave the balloting open to nonparty registrants
s:occurs in four-fifths of states |
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Term
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Definition
the idea that the information superhighway created by the internet and the WWW will facilitate new debates and discussions between citizens and officeholders
s: the media revolution has made a broader range of new sources available to more people than at any other time in human history. we have great access to the internet that provides news for us |
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Term
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Definition
the use by an interest group of face-to-face, one-on-one persuasion to convince decision makers in Washington that the interest groups positions make sense
s: |
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Term
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Definition
the mobilization by an interest group of forces outside Washington to put pressure on decision makers to act in ways favorable to the interest group
s: persuade policy makers from the outside |
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Term
| collective action problem |
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Definition
the difficulty in getting individuals to act collectively to obtain a common good when everyone in a group will benefit regardless of whether she or he contributes to the collective action
s: contributes to the free ride problem |
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Term
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Definition
any association seeking government action, the achievement of which will not principally benefit the members of the association
s: special interest groups seek benefits for their members. in contrast, public interest groups seeks policies that, at least in the minds of members, will benefit the society as a whole |
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