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| A consistent pattern of beliefs about political values and the role of government. |
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| An economic and governmental system based on public ownership of the means of production and exchange. |
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| A belief that ultimate power resides in the people. |
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| The difference between the political opinions or political behavior of men and of women. |
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| An organization that seeks political power by electing people to office so that its positions and philosophy become public policy. |
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| Political contributions given to a party, candidate, or interest group that are limited in amount and fully disclosed. Raising such limited funds is harder than raising unlimited funds, hence the term "hard" money. |
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| Delegates to the Democratic National Convention, the presidential nominating convention of the United States Democratic Party. |
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| A system used for selecting political party candidates in a primary election. The names of all the candidates for all the parties are on one ballot. |
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| An election held pursuant to a periodic schedule, in which a candidate for the office that the election concerns will become the scheduled successor to that office, if that candidate receives the majority of votes cast. |
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| The widely shared beliefs, values, and norms concerning the relationship of citizens to government and to one another. |
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| Governance according to the expressed preferences of the majority. |
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| A belief that ultimate power resides in the people. |
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| An economic system characterized by private property, competitive markets, economic incentives, and limited government involvement in the production and pricing of goods and services. |
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| A belief in the positive uses of government to bring about justice and equality of opportunity. |
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| An ideology that cherishes individual liberty and insists on a sharply limited government, promoting a free market economy, a noninterventionist foreign policy, and an absence of regulation in the moral and social spheres. |
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| The process by which we develop our political attitudes, values, and beliefs. |
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| The study of the characteristics of populations. |
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| gross domestic product (GDP) |
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| The total output of all economic activity in the nation, including goods and services. |
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| socioeconomic status (SES) |
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| A division of population based on occupation, income, and education. |
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| Money raised in unlimited amounts by political parties for party-building purposes. Now largely illegal except for limited contributions to state and local parties for voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts. |
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| A local or judicial election in which candidates are not selected or endorsed by political parties and party affiliation is not listed on ballots. |
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| Period at the beginning of a new president's term during which the president enjoys generally positive relations with the press and Congress, usually lasting about six months. |
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| A meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform. |
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| List of the actions which a political party supports in order to appeal to the general public for the purpose of having said party's candidates voted into office. |
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| Election in which voters choose party nominees. |
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| Primary election in which any voter, regardless of party, may vote. |
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| Voting by a member of one party for a candidate of another party. |
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| Primary election in which only persons registered in the party holding the primary may vote. |
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| proportional representation |
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| An election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote. |
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| An election system in which the candidate with the most votes win. |
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| A small political party that rises and falls with a charismatic candidate or, if composed of ideologies on the right, or left, usually persists over time. |
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| A minor party that believes in extremely limited government. Libertarians call for a freemarket system, expanded individual liberties such as drug legalization, and a foreign policy of non-intervention, free trade, and open-immigration. |
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| An election during periods of expanded suffrage and change in the economy and society that proves to be a turning point, redefining the agenda of politics and the alignment of voters within parties. |
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| Theory that opposes government interference in economic affairs beyond what is necessary to protect life and property. |
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| Theory based on the principles of Jon Maynard Keynes, stating that government spending should increase during business slumps and be curbed during booms. |
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| Governance divided between the parties, as when one holds the presidency and the other controls one or both houses of Congress. |
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| Interest groups organized under Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Service code may advertise for or against candidates. If their source of funding is corporations or unions, they have some restrictions on broadcast advertising. 527 organizations were important in the 2000 and 2004 elections. |
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| Weakening of partisan preferences that points to a rejection of both major parties and a rise in the number of Independents. |
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| An alliance among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. |
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Younger of two major political parties in the United States; GOP is an acronym for grand old party.
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| The practice of voting for candidates of the same party for multiple positions. |
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| McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Bill or Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) |
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| Amended the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) by banning large, unrestricted contributions known as “soft money” to political parties and prohibiting independent organizations from spending money from corporations or unions for “electioneering". |
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| Presidential National Nominating Convention |
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| A political convention held every four years in the United States by most of the political parties who will be fielding nominees in the upcomingU.S. presidential election. |
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| The first in a series of nationwide political party primary elections held in the United States every four years, as part of the process of choosing the Democratic and Republican nominees for the presidential elections to be held the subsequent November. |
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| A form of party system where two major political parties dominate voting in nearly all elections, at every level. As a result, all, or nearly all, elected offices end up being held by candidates endorsed by one of the two major parties. |
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| Granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support. |
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| Largest number of votes to be received by any candidate or referendum. |
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| A period of time during which there is one dominant majority party that wins all elections. |
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| One driven by the politics of a community. Are often at the local level, as many volunteers in the community give their time to support the local party, which can lead to helping the national party. |
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| McGovern-Fraser Commission |
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| A commission created in response to the tumultuous 1968 Democratic National Convention. |
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| A structure within a society that connects the people to the government or centralized authority. These institutions include: elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media. |
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| Committed member of a party. |
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| Describes the tendency, which has become apparent in recent years, for states to move their primaries and caucuses forward, in an attempt to be among the first states holding a nominating contest. |
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| A system in which three or more political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition. |
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| An electoral system in which candidates run for a single seat from a geographic district. |
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An environmentalist political party. |
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| Realigning election (often called a "critical election") or political realignment are terms from political science and political history describing a dramatic change in the political system. |
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| A politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses. |
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| When a divided legislature is unable to act. |
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| Dictate that the central governing authority of a nation should be equal or inferior to, but not having more power than, its sub-national states (state government). |
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| Believe government and/or society have a role in encouraging or enforcing traditional values or behaviors based on the belief that these are what keep people civilized and decent. |
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| Electoral event in which residents of the U.S. state of Iowa meet in precinct caucuses in all of Iowa's 1784 precincts and elect delegates to the corresponding county conventions. There are 99 counties in Iowa and thus 99 conventions. |
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A person designated to act for/represent others;
as in a political convention. |
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| The older of two major political parties in the United States. |
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| Founded in 1996 by Ross Perot. Perot said Americans were disillusioned with the state of politics—as being corrupt and unable to deal with vital issues—and desired a viable alternative to the Republican and Democratic Parties. |
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| A ballot on which the voter has chosen candidates from different political parties when multiple offices are being decided by a single election. |
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| The political party having the most seats in a house. |
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| One's own influence or effectiveness on politics. It indicates citizens' faith and trust in government and his/her own belief that he/she can understand and influence political affairs. |
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| Members of a former political party in the United States that favored a strong centralized federal government |
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| Having an abundant supply of money or possessions in value. |
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| A meeting of party delegates to vote on matters of policy and in some cases to select party candidates for public office. |
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| A belief that limited government ensures order, competitive markets, and personal opportunity. |
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