Term
| Political action committee (PAC) |
|
Definition
| an organizational device used by corporations, labor unions, and other organizations to raise money for campaign contributions. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| enforces state standards for lobbyists and public officials, including registration of lobbyists and reporting or political campaign contributions. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| enacted by the US Congress and signed by President Bush 2002, this law restricts donations of soft money or hard money for election campaigns, but it has been challenged in federal courts. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| campaign money donated to national political parties rather than to candidates. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| campaign money contributed directly by individuals. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| voting is open for virtually all persons 18 years of age or older. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| as prerequisite for voter registration, this test was designed and administered in ways intended to prevent African Americans and Latinos from voting. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| exempted people from educational, property, or tax requirements for voting if they were qualified to vote before 1867, or were descendants of persons. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a tax levied in TX from 1902 until a similar Virginia tax was declared unconstitutional in 1962; failure to pay the annual tax made a citizen ineligible to vote in party primaries or in special and general elections. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a nominating system designed to prevent African Americans and Mexican Americans participating in Democratic primaries from 1923 - 1944. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| drawing districts designed to affect representation of a racial group in a legislative chamber, city council, commissioners court, or other representative body. |
|
|
Term
| At-large majority districts |
|
Definition
| a district that elects two or more representatives. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| legislation requiring certain government offices to offer voter registration applications to clients. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the body of state law concerning parties, primaries, and elections. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the basic geographic area for conducting primaries and elections; TX is divided into more than 8500 voting precincts. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| less than 30% of Texas counties employ a full-time elections administrator to supervise voter registration and voting. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| appointed by the county commissioners court to administer an election in a voting precinct. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a preliminary election conducted within the party to select candidates who will run for public office in a subsequent general election. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a nominating system that allows voters to participate directly in the selection candidates for public office. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| held a month after the first primary to allow party members to choose a candidate from the first primary's top two vote-getters. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a primary in which voters must declare their support for the party before they are permitted to participate in the selection of its candidates. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a primary in which voters are not required to declare party identification. |
|
|
Term
| Nonpartisan blanket primary |
|
Definition
| a nominating process whereby voters indicate their preferences by using a single ballot on which are printed the names and respective party labels of all persons seeking nomination. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Louisiana conducts jungle primary in which candidates from all parties compete in a single election. A candidate who receives 50% or more of the vote is elected; otherwise, a run-off between the top two candidates must be held. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a practice whereby a person participates in the primary of one party, then votes for ne or more candidates of another party in the general election. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| to scrutinize the results of an election and then confirm and certify the vote tally for each candidate. |
|
|
Term
| Off-year or midterm elections |
|
Definition
| a general election held in the even-numbered year following a presidential election. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| an election called by the governor to fill a vacancy or vote on a proposed sate constitutional amendment or local bond issue. |
|
|
Term
| What is the primary way that voters learn about candidates? |
|
Definition
| Through television commercials. |
|
|
Term
| What is the difference between the TX Ethics Commission and the Federal Election Campaign Act? |
|
Definition
| The TX Ethics Commission has no laws to limit political contributions. |
|
|
Term
| What party do Latinos traditionally support? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| Who was the first person to receive more than four million votes? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| By 2010, how many women had served as governor in TX? |
|
Definition
|
|
Term
| What are six traditional obstacles used in TX to limit people's right to vote? |
|
Definition
1. Literacy tests
2. Grandfather clauses
3. Poll taxes
4. All-white primaries
5. Racial gerrymandering
6. Diluting minority votes |
|
|
