AP Gov Vocab Unit 2

Political party-organization that seeks political power by electing people to office

so that its positions and philosophy become public policy
Party realignment-what happens when balance of power between countrys
political parties changes greatly
Minor/third party-a small political party that persists over time, is often composed
of ideologies on the right or left, or is centered on a charismatic candidate. Such a
part is called a third party.
Party identification-an informal and subjective affiliation with a political party that
most people acquire in childhood
Primaries - A preliminary election to appoint delegates to a party conference or to
select the candidates for a principal, esp. presidential, election.
Federal election laws/decisions Electoral college- the electoral system used in electing the president and vice
president, in which voters vote for electors pledged to cast their ballots for a
particular partys candidate.
Voter registration-a system designed to reduce fraud by limiting voting to those
who have established eligibility to vote by submitting the proper documents,
including proof of residency.
Registered Voters- those who have fulfilled the requirement in some democracies
for citizens and residents to check in with some central registry specifically for the
purpose of being allowed to vote in elections.
Conventional Participation - Voting; donating your time, money to a campaign;
running for office; writing a letter to a politician
Voting age population- The number of persons in a geographic unit who are at
least 18 years of age.
527 organization-a political group organized under section 527 of the IRS code
that may accept and spend unlimited amounts of money on election activities so
long as they are not spent on broadcast ads run in the last 30 days before a primary
or 60 days before a general election in which a clearly identified candidate is
referred to and a relative electorate is targeted
Incumbency-current holder of elected office
Valence issues- Issues on which most voters and candidates share the same
opinion.
Political action committees (PAC)-the political arm of an interest group that is
legally entitled to raise funds on a voluntary basis from members, stockholders, or
employees to contribute funds to candidate or political party
Interest group-a collection of people who share a common interest or attitude and
seek to influence government for specific ends. Usually work within framework of
government and try to achieve their goals through tactics such as lobbying.
Lobbying-seek to influence a political party or public official on an issue
Iron triangle- a policy-making instrument composed of tightly related alliance of a
congressional committee, interest groups, and federal department or agency.
Mass media- means of communication that reach the public, including newspapers
and magazines, radio, television (broadcast, cable, and satellite), films, recordings,
books, and electronic communication.

Investigative journalism- a form of journalism in which reporters deeply

investigate a single topic of interest, often-involving crime, political corruption, or
corporate wrongdoing
Censorship- the practice of officially examining books, movies, etc., and
suppressing unacceptable parts
Trial balloons- A tentative measure taken or statement made to see how a new
policy will be received
Literacy test- a literacy requirement some states imposed as a condition of voting,
generally used to disqualify black voters in the south; now illegal.
Grandfather clause- a clause in the constitutions of some Southern states after
1890 intended to permit whites to vote while disfranchising blacks: it exempted
from new literacy and property qualifications for voting those men entitled to vote
before 1867 and their lineal descendants.
Voting eligible population (VEP)- everyone 18 and older but excludes felons and
noncitizens
Federal Election Commission (FEC)- a commission created by the 1974
amendments to the Federal Election Campaign Act to administer election reform
laws. It consists of six commissioners appointed by the president and confirmed by
the Senate. Its duties include overseeing disclosure of campaign finance
information, public funding of presidential elections, and enforcing contribution
limits.
Independent expenditures- Supreme Court has ruled that individuals, groups,
and parties can spend unlimited amounts in campaigns for or against candidates as
long as they operate independently from the candidate. When an individual group
or party does so they are making an independent expenditure.
Soft money-money raised in unlimited amounts by political parties for partybuilding purposes. Now largely illegal except for limited contributions to state and
local parties for voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts.
Conservative-those that believe in limited government ensures order, competitive
markets, and personal opportunity.
Liberal-those that believe government can and should achieve justice and equality
of opportunity.
Moderate- an individual who is not extreme, partisan or radical
Political Cleavages- national, ethnic, linguistic, and religious divisions that affect
political allegiances and policies.
Political ideology- a consistent pattern of beliefs about political values and the
role of government.
Public Opinion- the distribution of individual preferences for or evaluations of a
given issue, candidate, or institution within a specific population.
Poll tax- Tax required to vote; prohibited for national elections by the 24 th
amendment (1964)
And ruled unconstitutional for all elections in Harper v. Board of Education (1966).
White primary- A democratic party primary in the old one party south that was
limited to white people and essentially constituted an election; ruled
unconstitutional in Smith v. Allwright(1944).
Motor voter law- The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA), a law that
enables prospective voters to register when they obtain or renew a driver's license.
Voting Rights Act- The Voting Rights Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 19731973aa-6)[1]
is a landmark piece of national legislation in the United States that outlawed

discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread
disenfranchisement of African Americans in the U.S.
Caucus- a meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates
for public office and to decide the platform
Gerrymandering- Manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as
to favor one party or class.
Position issues- An issue dividing the electorate on which rival parties adopt
different policy positions to attract voters
General Election- An election used to fill an elective office
Franchise-vote,
Disfranchised-no vote
Enfranchised-given vote 18, register, citizen of US, early white males with
property, Amendments give to A.A males, women, 18, DC residents, Act of
Congress-Native Americans

Disenfranchised-had right to vote/lost it taken away, felony (broken social

contract), judged mentally incompetent, literacy test, poll tax, grandfather
clause, all white primary,