Campaigns and Election Basics
Term for an election where voters choose which candidate will represent their party.
What is a primary election?
Public gatherings where candidates speak directly to voters.
What are campaign rallies?
An organization that raises and donates money to candidates, formed by interest groups.
What is a Political Action Committee (PAC)?
These organizations try to influence government policy on behalf of their members.
What are interest groups?
Large-scale collective actions to demand change.
What are social movements?
A type of election where candidates compete from different parties for public office.
What is the general election?
The term for the person who already holds the office and is seeking re-election.
Who is the incumbent?
A court case that ruled spending money on campaigns is protected speech.
What is Buckley v. Valeo?
Efforts to influence policymakers by direct contact.
What is lobbying?
Strategy involving large public gatherings such as marches or protests.
What is mass mobilization?
A system where the candidate with the most votes wins, even if they don’t win a majority.
What is plurality voting?
A candidate’s message is designed to portray what they will do if elected.
What is a campaign platform?
Independent groups that can spend unlimited money but can’t coordinate with campaigns.
What are Super PACs?
The practice of rotating government officials into lobbying jobs.
What is the revolving door?
Social movements often form these organizations to influence policy over time.
What are interest groups?
The institution that formally chooses the president.
What is the Electoral College?
The group of professional staff who plan strategy, ads, and voter outreach.
What is a campaign organization (or campaign staff)?
Donations to political parties or groups that the FEC does not regulate.
What is soft money?
When interest group members mobilize supporters to contact officials.
What is grassroots lobbying?
The civil rights organization is known for legal challenges against segregation
What is the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)?
The name for states where election outcomes are unpredictable and heavily campaigned in.
What are swing states?
The federal agency that regulates campaign finance.
What is the FEC (Federal Election Commission)?
Term for money spent that directly advocates for the election or defeat of a candidate.
What is an independent expenditure?
A legal brief submitted to influence a court decision on a case.
What is an amicus curiae brief?
The theory that groups gain power when they can take advantage of openings in political institutions
What is political opportunity theory?