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Definition
| citizens' views on politics and government action |
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| the amount of complexity in an individual's beliefs about gove't and policy, and the extent to which those beliefs are consistent with each other and remain consistent over time |
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| liberal-conservative ideology |
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Definition
| a way of describing political beliefs in terms of a position on the spectrum running from liberal to moderate conservative |
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| an opinion formed on the spot, when it is needed (as distinct from a deeply held opinion that is stable over time) |
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| a way of forming a political opinion in which a person develops a preference regarding a candidate, party, or policy but does not remember the original reasons behind the preference |
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| the many pieces of information a person uses to form an opinion |
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| the process by which an individual's political opinions are shaped by other people and the surrounding culture |
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| a way to measure public opinion by interviewing a large sample of the population |
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| the group of people that a researcher or pollster wants to study, such as evangelicals, senior citizens, or americans |
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| within a population, the group of people surveyed in order to gauge the whole population's opinion; used because it would be impossible to survey and entire population |
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| a survey response format in which respondents select their answers from a range of positions between two extremes |
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| a subsection of a population chosen to participate in a survey through a selection process in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being chosen; improves the accuracy of public opinion data. |
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| a calculation that describes what percentage of the people surveyed may not accurately represent the population being studied; lowered by increasing number of respondents |
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| a method of random sampling used in telephone surveys, in which the interviewers call respondents by dialing random telephone numbers in order to include those with unlisted numbers |
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| a type of survey in which a computer program, rather than a live questioner, interviews respondents by telephone |
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| the effect on public opinion when many citizens move away from moderate positions and toward either end of the political spectrum, identifying themselves as either liberal or conservative |
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| the level of public support for expanding the government's role in society; whether the public wants government action on a specific issue |
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| sources like newspapers, television networkd, radio stations, and web sites, that provide information to the average citizen |
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| a term describing reduced-[rice newspapers sold for one cent in the 1830s, when more efficient printing presses made newspapers available to a larger segment of the population |
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| an organization that gathers news and sells it to other media outlets; the invention of the telegraph in the early 1800s made this type of service possible |
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| a style of newspaper popular in the late 1800s featuring sensationalized stories, bold headlines, and illustrations in order to increase readership |
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| reporters who dig deeply into a particular topic of public concern, often targeting government failures and inefficiencies |
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| gov't agency created in 1934 to regulate american radio stations, and expanded to regulate television, wireless communications technologies, and other broadcast media |
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| communications technologies, such as television and radio, that transmit information over airwaves |
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| an fcc regulation requiring broadcast media to provide equal airtime on any non-news programming to all candidates running for office |
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| the trend toward single-company ownership of several media sources in one area |
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| the trend toward single-company ownership of several kinds of media outlets |
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| companies that control a large number of media sources across several types of media outlets |
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| media sources that predate the internet, such as newspapers, magazines, television, and radio |
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| evening hours when television viewership is a t its highest and networks often schedule news programs |
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| the time between the release of information and its publication, like the 24 hours between issues of a daily newspaper |
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| op-ed (opinion editorial) |
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Definition
| this type of article is written by a journalist or guest writer who expresses his or her opinion on a given issue without necessarily attempting to be objective |
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| the idea that media sources will increasingly make their news available online as more people begin using the internet |
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| the release of either classified or politically embarrassing information by a government employee to a member of the press |
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| events at which politicians speak to journalists and, in most cases, answer their questions afterward |
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| on background/off the record |
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| terms describing comments a politician makes to the press on the condition that they can be reported only if are not attributed to that politician |
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| legislation, which exists in some stats but not at a federal level, that gives reporters the right to refuse to name the sources of their information |
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| by-product theory of information transmission |
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Definition
| the idea that many americans acquire political information unintentionally rather than by seeking it out |
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| the influence of media coverage on average citizen's opinions and actions |
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| the influence on public opinion that results from journalists' and editors' decisions about which of many potential news stories to report |
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| the imbalance in a story that covers one candidate or policy favorably without providing similar coverage of the other side |
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| the influence on the public's general impressions caused by positive or negative coverage of a candidate or issue |
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| the influence on public opinion caused by the way a story is presented or covered, including the details, explanations, and context offered in the report |
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| the idea that supporters of a candidate or issue tend to feel that media coverage is biased against their position, regardless of whether coverage is actually unfair |
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| a type of increasingly popular media coverage focused on political scandals and controversies, which causes a negative public opinion of political figures |
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| a description of the type of election coverage that focuses more on poll results and speculation about a likely winner than on substantive differences between the candidates |
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| media coverage that aims to entertain or shock, often through sensationalized reporting or by focusing on a candidate or politician's personality |
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| media coverage focused on facts and important issues surrounding a campaign |
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| groups of people who belong to, are candidates of, or work for a political party, but do not necessarily work together or hold similar policy preferences |
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| a specific political party's leader and worker at the national, state, and local levels |
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| the group of officeholders who belong to a specific political party and were elected as candidates of that party |
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| the group of citizens who identify with a specific political party |
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| a period of time in which the names of the major political parties, their supporters, and the issues dividing them remain relatively stable |
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| the idea that a political party exists as an organization distinct from its elected officials or party leaders |
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| the practice of rewarding party supporters with benefits like federal government positions |
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| the assemblage of groups who aligned with and supported the democratic party in support of new deal policies during the fifth party system, including african americans, catholics, jewish people, union members, and white southerners |
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| the role of the parties in recruiting, training, contributing to, and campaigning for congressional and presidential candidates; grew more prominent during the sixth party system |
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| a change in the size or composition of the party coalitions or in the nature of the issues that divide the parties; typically occur within an election cycle or two, but the can also occur gradually over the course of a decade or longer |
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| a term describing issues that raise disagreements within a party coalition or between political parties about what government should do |
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| an american political party's principal organization, comprised of party representatives from each state |
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Term
| political action committees (PACs) |
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Definition
| interest groups or divisions of interest groups that can raise money to contribute to campaigns or to spend on ads in support of candidates. the amount the can receive from each of their donors and their expenditures on federal electioneering are strictly limited |
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Definition
| tax-exempt groups formed primarily to influence elections through voter mobilization efforts and issue ads that do not directly endorse or oppose a candidate; unlike political action committees, they are not subject to contribution limits and spending caps |
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| the use of party names to evoke certain positions or issues |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| the organization of republicans within the house and senate who meet to discuss and debate the party's positions on various issues in order to reach a consensus and to assign leadership positions |
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| a term describing the alignment of both parties' members with their own party's issues and priorities, with little crossover support for the other party's goals |
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| party identification (party id) |
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Definition
| a citizen's loyalty to a specific political party |
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Definition
| people who dedicate their time, effort, and money to supporting a political party or particular candidates |
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Definition
| 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 issue |
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Definition
| a decline in the percentage of citizens who identify with one of the major parties, usually over the course of a decade or longer |
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Definition
| the groups who identify with a political party, usually described in demographic terms, such as african american democrats or evangelical republicans |
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Definition
| a ballot vote in which citizens select a party's nominee for the general election |
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Definition
| a local meeting in which party members select a party's nominee for the general election |
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| a meeting held by each party every four years at which states' delegates select the party's presidential and vice-presidential nominees and approve the party platform |
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| a set of objectives outlining the party's issue positions and priorities - although candidates are not required to support their party's platform |
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| conditional party government |
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Definition
| the theory that lawmakers from the same party will cooperate to develop policy proposals |
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| legislators who do not hold leadership positions within their party caucus or conference |
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| a situation in which one party holds a majority of seats in the house and senate and the president is a member of that same party |
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Definition
| under unified gov't, the party that controls the house, senate, and the presidency; under divided gov't, the president's party |
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Definition
| a situation in which the house, senate, and presidency are not controlled by the same party, such as if democrats hold the majority of house and senate seats, and the president is a republican |
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| 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 achieve the platform's objectives |
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| the principle that in a democracy with single-member districts and plurality voting, like the united states, only two parties' candidates will have a realistic chance of winning political office |
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| an electoral system in which every elected official represents a geographically defined area, such as a state or congressional district, and each are elects one representative |
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Definition
| 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 voters |
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| the votes cast by citizens in an election |
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| votes cast by members of the electoral college; after a presidential candidate wins the popular vote in a given state, that candidate's slate of electors will cast electoral votes for the candidate on behalf of that state |
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| the proportions of seats in the house and senate that are controlled by each major party |
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| a change in the number of seats held by republicans and democrats in the house or senate |
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| a typical congressional election in which the reelection rate is high, and the influences on house and senate contests are largely local |
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| an atypical congressional election in which the reelection rate is relatively low for one party's house and senate incumbents and national-level issues exert more influence than usual on house and senate races |
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| a politician running for reelection to the office she currently holds |
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| a politician running for an office that he does not hold at the time of the election |
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| a citizen's judgment of an officeholder's job performance since the last election |
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| the selection of a particular candidate to run for office in a general election as a representative of his or her political party |
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| a primary election in which any registered voter can participate in the contest, regardless of party affiliation |
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| a primary election in which only registered members of a particular political party can vote |
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Definition
| the election in which voters cast ballots for house members, senators, and (every four years) a president and vice president |
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Definition
| a voting ballot submitted by mail before an election; voters use them if they will be unable to go to the polls on election day |
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Definition
| a voting system in which the candidate who receives the most votes within a geographic area wins the election regardless of whether he or she wins a majority |
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| a voting system in which a candidate must win more than 50 percent of votes in order to win the election |
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| under a majority voting system, a second election held only if no candidate wins a majority of the votes in the first general election; the top two vote-getters compete |
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| casting a ballot that is either incomplete or cannot be counted |
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| a ballot vote in which citizens select a party's nominee for the general election |
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Definition
| local meetings in which party members select a party's nominee for the general election |
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Definition
| individuals who attend their party's national convention and vote to select their party's nominee for presidency; are elected in a series of primaries and caucuses that occur during winter and spring of an election year |
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Term
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Definition
| during the presidential primaries, the practice of determining the number of convention delegates alotted to each candidate based on the percentage of popular vote cast for each candidate; all democratic primaries and caucuses use this system, as do some states' republican primaries and caucuses |
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Definition
| during the presidential primaries, the practice of assigning all of a given state's delegates to the candidate who receives the most popular votes |
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Definition
| a practice whereby several states in the same area of the country hold presidential primaries or caucuses on the same day |
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Definition
| the practice of states moving their presidential primaries or caucuses to take place earlier in the nomination process, often in the hopes of exerting more influence over the outcome |
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Definition
| democratic members of congress and party officials selected by their colleagues to be delegates at the party's presidential nominating convention; republicans do not have these; are not committed to a particular candidate and can exercise their judgment when deciding how to vote at the convention |
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Definition
| the body that votes to select america's president and vice president based on the popular vote in each state; each candidate nominates a slate of electors who are selected to attend the meeting of the college if their candidate wins the most votes in a state or district |
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| in a presidential race, highly competitive states in which both major party candidates stand a good chance of winning the state's electoral votes |
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| the two-year period between general elections |
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| an elected position for which there is no incumbent |
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| the actions officeholders take throughout the election cycle to build support for their re-election |
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| the actions officeholders take throughout the election cycle to build support for their re-election |
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| attempts by elected officials to manipulate the economy, increasing economic growth and reducing unemployment and inflation around election time, with the goal of improving evaluations of their performance in office |
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| fund-raising by candidates prior to the primaries or caucuses; amounts raised often considered indicative of their respective chances of winning |
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Definition
| candidates' attempts to recruit well-respected consultants and campaign staff prior to the first primaries and caucuses; the ability to recruit a prestigious campaign team is often considered indicative of electoral prospects |
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| a mode of campaigning that involves indirect contact with citizens, such as running campaign ads |
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| a mode of campaigning in which a candidate or campaign staff contact citizens directly, as would happen at a rally, a talk before a small group, or a one-on-one meeting between a candidate and a citizen |
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Definition
| motivating supports to vote in an election and, in some cases, helping them get to the polls on election day |
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Definition
| a mode of campaigning in which a candidate or campaign staff contact citizens directly, as would happen at a rally, a talk before a small group, or a one-on-one meeting between a candidate and a citizen |
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Definition
| a campaign's efforts to "get out the vote" or make sure their supporters vote on election day |
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| groups of organized supporters who contact likely voters by phone to encourage support for their party or candidate |
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| a type of survey in which the questions are presented in a biased way in an attempt to influence the respondent. |
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Definition
| a candidate's description of his or her issue positions and the kinds of policies he or she will seek to enact in office |
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| attempts by a candidate's campaign or other groups of supporters to uncover embarrassing or politically damaging information about the candidate's opponent |
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| campaign advertising that criticizes a candidate's opponent - typically by making potentially damaging claims about the opponent's background or record - rather than focusing on positive reasons to vote for the candidate |
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| Federal Election Commission |
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Definition
| the government agency that enforces and regulates campaign finance laws; made up of six presidential appointees, of whom no more than three can be members of the same party |
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| donations that are used to help elect or defeat a specific candidate |
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| contributions that can be used for voter mobilization or to promote a policy proposal or point of view as long as these efforts are not tied to supporting or opposing a particular candidate |
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| the question of why citizens vote even though their individual votes stand little chance of changing the election outcome |
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| the percent of registered voters who cast a ballot in a given election |
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| people who are well-informed about their own policy preferences and knowledgeable about the candidates - and use all of this information when they decide how to vote |
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| pieces of information about a candidate that are readily available, easy to interpret, and lead a citizen to decide to vote for a particular candidate |
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| a vote that is likely to be consistent with the voter's true preference about the candidates |
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| the idea that a popular president can generate additional support for candidates affiliated with his party; are weak or nonexistent in most american elections |
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| a ballot on which a voter selects candidates from more than one political party |
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| a ballot on which a voter selects candidates from only one political party |
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| 1. citizens' political actions are driven by their opinions; 2. public opinion explains the behavior of candidates, political parties, and other political actors; 3. it can shed light on the reasons for specific policy outcomes. |
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Definition
| three reasons why public opinion matters in democracy |
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| 1. families & communities; 2. events; 3. group identity |
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| 3 primary sources of our political opinions |
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