The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actively involved in politics at the time.
What is a policy agenda?
100
"a team of men and women seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election."
What is a political party?
100
Elections to select party nominees in which voters can decide on Election Day whether they want to participate in the Democratic or Republican contests.
What is an open primary?
100
Historical periods in which a majority of voters cling to the party in power which tends to win a majority of the elections.
What is a party era?
200
Media programming on cable TV or the internet that is focused on one topic and aimed at a particular audience.
What is narrowcasting?
200
A citizen's self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other.
What is party identification?
200
The meeting of party delegates every four years to choose a presidential ticket and write the party's platform.
What is a national convention?
200
When legislative seats are awarded only to the candidate who comes in first or the winner of the popular vote in a state receives all the electoral votes of that state.
What is the winner-take-all-system?
200
An electoral "earthquake" where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party.
What is a critical election?
300
Events purposely staged for the media that nonetheless look spontaneous.
What is a media event?
300
a job, promotion or contract that one is given for political reasons rather than for merit or competence alone.
What is patronage?
300
A group of individuals with a common interest on which every political party depends.
What is a coalition?
300
Created by the winner-take-all-system and single member districts.
What is the two party system?
300
The displacement of the majority party by the minority party.
What is party realignment?
400
A politics in which the behavior of citizens and policymakers and the political agenda itself are increasingly shaped by technology.
What is high-tech politics?
400
The most educated of political participants most commonly turn to this new source.
What are newspapers?
400
A type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements, such as patronage, to win votes and to govern.
What is a party machine?
400
An electoral system used throughout most of Europe that awards legislative seats to political parties in proportion to the number of votes won in an election.
What is proportional representation?
400
The gradual disengagement of people and politicians from parties. It represents our modern era.
What is party dealignment?
500
This federal regulation which required broadcasters to give equal time to all political opinions. It was repealed by Ronald Reagan in 1987.
What is the Fairness Doctrine?
500
The channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda.
What is a linkage institution?
500
Occurs in nearly all elections, excluding primaries, today due to party dealignment.
What is ticket splitting?
500
It assumes that individuals act in their own best interest, carefully weighting the costs and benefits of possible alternatives.
What is rational choice theory?
500
Includes urban working class, ethnic groups, Catholics, Jews, the poor, Southerners, African Americans, and intellectuals.