ESBR AP Gov - Elections Flashcards

5979469963	Coattails	Effect a popular president or presidential candidate can have in helping down ballot candidates of their party.	0
5979474295	Open seat / race	An election in which an incumbent is not running.	1
5979477812	Franking privilege	Free mail that incumbent Senators and Representatives can send their constituents.	2
5979481875	Buckley v. Valeo	Court case that held that campaign spending was a form of speech and self-financed candidates could spend as much as they wanted on their own campaigns.	3
5979492824	Citizens United v. FEC	This case struck down part of the McCain Feingold law banning independent spending by outside groups, paving the way for Super PACs.	4
5979501394	Soft money	Donations that were given to parties to engage in "party building" efforts. This was a loophole closed by the 2002 McCain-Feingold Act.	5
5979506425	527's	Outside groups that spend money on behalf of campaigns and issues without directly coordinating with the candidate.	6
5979515004	Incumbent	The current person who holds an elected position.	7
5979520022	Challenger	A candidate who is trying to defeat an incumbent in an election.	8
5979525845	Position issue	A question in which the two parties or two candidates take differing, opposing views (such as gun control v. gun rights, or pro/anti-abortion).	9
5979533132	Valence issue	A question in which the parties or candidates agree but offer differing plans or approaches (eg. to combat terrorism, reduce unemployment).	10
5979540717	Prospective voting	Voting based on a candidate's promises regarding what they will do.	11
5979542946	Retrospective voting	Voting based on what an official accomplished, particularly with regard to Presidents running for re-election, who are often judged on the health of the economy.	12
5979556286	Caucus	A way of selecting delegates in Presidential nominating conventions that features public voting at party meetings.	13
5979560153	Primary	A way of selecting nominees for both Presidential races and for all other types of offices, by secret ballot in a manner similar to a general election.	14
5979564442	Super Tuesday	A day, usually in March, in the Presidential election year on which many states hold primaries or caucuses. This day often determines who will win a party's presidential nomination.	15
5979571827	Front Loading	The competition among states to set the date of their primary or caucus early in a presidential election year so they have more influence over who each party's nominee will be.	16
5979576284	New Hampshire	The state that hosts the first presidential primary.	17
5979577797	Iowa	The state that hosts the first presidential caucus and helps determine which candidates drop out first.	18
5979585103	Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974	This law placed limits on how much money individuals could donate to parties, candidates and political action committees.	19
5979588350	Political Action Committees	These groups help to pool campaign donations, usually from executives or shareholders of a company, or members of a labor union.	20
5979593831	Super PACs	These groups were created by the Citizens United decision and can spend unlimited amounts of money on campaign ads, but can not directly coordinate with candidates or parties.	21
5979640255	Redistricting	The process of redrawing lines for State Legislatures and the US House of Representatives, which usually happens after each census every ten years.	22
5979646672	Reapportionment	The process of determining which states gain or lose members of the House, decided by the US Census bureau after every ten year census.	23
5979652172	Gerrymandering	Redrawing lines to make it easier for one political party to win more seats in the House and in state legislatures. This is usually done by state legislatures.	24
5979670676	Packing	A gerrymandering technique in which one tries to put all of the other party's voters in one or a few districts.	25
5979673922	Cracking	A gerrymandering technique in which one tries to divide and dilute the influence of the other party's voters by dividing them into multiple districts in which they are a minority.	26
5979678189	Kidnapping	A gerrymandering technique involving putting two incumbents of the opposite party in the same district, forcing them to battle each other in a primary.	27
5979685523	Momentum	Presidential candidates who win early contests often gain this, involving increased media attention and campaign funding.	28
5979696988	Democratic National Convention	A meeting held every 4 years to determine who the Democratic nominee for President will be.	29
5979699380	Republican National Convention	A meeting held every 4 years to determine who the Republican nominee for President will be.	30