What is an election system in which the candidates with the most votes wins.
100
Issue advocacy
What is promoting a particular position or an issue paid for by interest groups or individuals but not candidates. Subjected to regulation starting in 2004.
100
News Media
What is media that emphasizes the news.
100
Selective Perception
What is the process by which individuals perceive what they want to in media messages.
100
Lame Duck
What is a politician who cannot, or has announced he or she will not, run again.
200
Electoral College
What is 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 party's candidates.
200
Independent Expenditures
What is money spent by individuals or groups not associated with candidates to elect or defeat candidates for office.
200
Mass Media
What is means of communication that reach the mass public, including newspapers and magazines, radio, television (broadcast, cable and satellite), films, recordings, books, and electronic communication.
200
Political Socialization
What is the process by which we develop our political attitudes, values, and beliefs.
200
Fixed terms
What is the length of a term that is specified, not indefinite.
300
Proportional Representation
What is An election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote.
300
Interest Money
What is Financial contributions by individuals or groups in the hope of influencing the outcome of an election and subsequently influencing policy.
300
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)
What is the act passed by the Supreme Court banning soft money funded electioneering by parties, broadcast ads from occurring 30 days before a primary election and 60 days before a general election.
300
Selective Exposure
What is the process by which the individuals screen our messages that do not conform to their own biases.
300
Staggered Terms
What is 1/3 of senate seats up for election every two years.
400
Single-member District
What is an electoral district in which voters choose one representative or official.
400
National Party Convention
What is a national meeting of delegates elected in primaries, caucuses, or state conventions who assemble once every four years to nominated candidates for president and vice president, ratify the party platform, elect officers and adopt rules.
400
Objective Journalism
What is the professionalization of journalism into independence of partisan politics.
400
Audience Fragmentation
What is the lessening influence of local news, network news, and newspapers due to the scattered number of people across press outlets.
400
Amendment 22
What is the amendment limiting presidents to two terms.
500
Caucus
What is a meeting of local party members to choose party officials or candidates for public office and to decide the platform.
500
Coattail Effect
What is the boost that candidates may get in an election because of the popularity of candidates above the on the ballot, especially the president.
500
Fairness doctrine
What is Federal Communications Commission policy that required holders of radio and television licenses to ensure that different viewpoints were presented about controversial issues or persons; largely repealed in 1987.
500
Horse Race
What is a close contest; by extension, any contest in which the focus is on who is ahead and by how much rather than on the substantive differences between the candidates.
500
Focus Group
What is a small sample group of people who are asked questions about candidates and issues in a discussion setting.