Political Parties
A primary where anyone no matter their political affiliation can vote
Open primary
The process that elects the US president
Electoral College
A type of money that is donated directly to candidates and has regulations
Hard money
The purpose of watching and criticizing political candidates
Watchdog
An organization of people who have policy goals and influence policymakers to accomplish those goals
Interest groups
A group of people with specific opinions who seek to control the government
Political Party
Each state has a different number of these people to elect the president
Electors
This organization is responsible for enforcing campaign finance regulations
Federal Elections Commission
Events that are staged by a political candidate primarily for the purpose of being covered and are often limited on what they report
Media events
The process of trying to influence an issue
Lobbying
A non-partisan primary, usually in city elections
Run-off primary
A winner must be declared on this date or the vice president will take over
January 20th
The first president to refuse any government funding for campaign
An unofficial release of information to the public
Leaking
This group is the most influential interest group in America and has successfully lobbied against stricter gun control laws
National Rifle Association
The election process that picks the party´s candidate for a general election
Direct primary
The least qualified people who are the tiebreaker of the election if there is a tie
The House of Representatives
The type of group that raises unlimited soft money for voter registration, issue advocacy, but not for a specific candidate
527 groups
The public´s independent watchdog and is charged with keeping government, businesses, and organizations in check
The free press
This group worked to end racial lynching and segregation, founded in 1909 and has helped to abolish the death penalty in 5 states
National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People
A way for parties to select their candidates in the early days
Caucus
The proposed plan where whoever wins the popular vote automatically becomes president
Direct popular election
The act that was passed as a way to try and close financial loopholes that allowed money to influence elections, also increased donations per person
Candidates will usually spend millions of dollars on this during elections, and they rely on this in order for the public to be persuaded to vote for them
Advertising
Taking part actively in the process of an election campaign
Electioneering