Complete List of Terms and Definitions for and Campaigns 4

Terms Definitions
Malapportionment Drawing the boundaries of legislative districts so that they are unequal in population.
527 groups interest groups organized under Internal Revenue Code that may advertise for or against candidates; if their source of funding is corporations or unions, they have some restrictions on broadcast advertising.
independent expenditure Spending by political action committees on political matters that is done directly and not by giving money to a candidate or party.
What were Obama's and McCain's messages in the 2008 election? Change
Coattails The alleged tendency of candidates to win more votes in an election because of the presence at the top of the ticket of a better-known candidate, such as the president. In recent years, there has been a sharp decline in the value of this.
Challengers a refrence to people running against incumbent office holders.
delegate person chosen by local partisans to represent them in selecting nominees, party leaders, and party positions.
primary election A preliminary election in which voters narrow the field of candidates for specific offices.
telescoping effect The occurence, in a winner-take-alll system, of a presidential candidate winning in a state by just a few popular votes yet recieving all of that state's electorial college votes.
Privileged Speech A doctrine stating that "for any speech or debate in either house they shall not be questioned in any other place." The Supreme Court has interpreted this to mean that members of Congress cannot be sued or prosecuted for anything that they say or write in connection with their legislative duties.
prospective voting voting for a candidate because one favors his or her ideas for addressing issues after the election
Spin docters practioners at the art of spin control, or manipulation of media reporting to favor their own canidate.
Retrospective Voting voting for a candidate because you like his or her past actions in office
electoral college 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 candidate
political consultant A paid professional whom a political candidate, party, or campaign hires to develop a campaign strategy and manage the campaign's activities and efforts.
single-member district An elctoral district from which a single legislator is chosen, usually by a pluarlity vote, in contrast to proportional representation or at-large system.
Primary Election An election held to choose which candidates for office.
Ronald Reagan (1984) The president who won the most electoral votes (525).
critical/ realigning periods periods during which a sharp, lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition supporitng one or both parties. The issues that separate the two parties change, and so the kinds of voters supporing each party change
Close Primary A Primary election in which voting is limited to already registered party members.
third party A political party other than the two main parties in a two-party system. Third parties are usually made up of independent voters and dissatisfied members of one or both major parties.
plurality runoff method A method used in some Southern states. If no candidate receives a majority vote, a second, runoff election is held between the two highest vote getters.
Runoff Primary A second primary election held when no candidate wins a majority of the votes in the first primary.
Major Federal Campaign Finance Rules for Independent Expenditures 1) Corporations, unions, and associations may not use their own money to fund "electioneering communications" that refer to clearly identified candidates sixty days before a general election or thirty days before a primary contest.
2) PACs may fund electioneering communications up to their expenditure limits.
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) Largely banned party soft money, restored long-standing prohibition on corporations and labor unions for using general treasury funds for electoral purposes, and narrowed the definition of issue advocacy.
socieconomic status (SES) A group of people within the society who share similar income levels and similar types of employment.
Straight Ticket Voting Votin for candidates of the same party for multiple positions.
One Person, One Vote The 1964 Supreme Court ruling that the Constitution requires that districts be drawn so that, as nearly as possible, on person's vote would be worth as much as another's.
Qualifications of a Senator . Must be 30 or older when seated
. Must have been a U.S. citizen for 9 years
. Must inhabit the state in which he/she is elected