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| the 538 presidential electors, elected to represent the votes of their respective states, who meet every four years to cast the electoral votes for president and vice president of the United States |
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| electoral system in which whoever wins the most votes in an election wins the election |
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| tally of total votes from individual citizens, as opposed to the electoral vote |
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| constitutionally mandated count of the population every 10 years |
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| process whereby state legislatures redraw the boundaries of congressional districts in the state to make them equal in population size |
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| redistricting that blatantly benefits one political party over the other or concentrates (or dilutes) the voting impact of racial and ethnic groups |
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| process by which citizens place proposed laws on the ballot for public approval |
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| process by which public approval is required before states can pass laws |
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| period just before primaries begin, during which candidates attempt ot capture party support and media coverage |
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| candidates with deep ties to party leaders and veiws that comport well with the political viewpoints of the party leadership |
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| elections held in which citizens directly vote for candidates who will run on the party label in the general election; also called direct primary |
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| metting of party members in town halls, schools, and even private homes to choose a vote for a presidential party nominee |
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| holding many primaries simultaneously early in the year |
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| public funding given to a presidential candidate equaling the dollar amount the candidate raises from private contributors |
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| organizing and influencing others to donate to a political campaign so as to raise more money than the $2,400 contribution to the FEC rules permit per individual |
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| political action committees (PACs) |
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| groups formed to raise and contribute funds to support electoral candidates and that are subject to campaign finance laws |
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| voters who are neither reliably republican nor democratic and who are pursued by each party during elections, as they can determine which candidate wins |
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| state in which the outcome of the presidential election is uncertain and in which both candidates invest much time and money to win, especially if vital for a victory in the Electoral College |
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| gathering detailed information on cross-sections of the electorate to track potential supporters and tailor political messages for them; also called narrowcasting |
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| noncontroversial or widely supported issues that are unlikely to differentiate among candidates |
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| political issues that offer specific choices in policy and often differentiate candidates' views and plans of action |
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| divisive issue focused on a particular group of the electorate that candidates use to gain more support by taking votes away from their opponents |
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| campaign strategy of telling voters why they should not vote for the opponent and highlighting information that raises doubts about the opponent |
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| formulas that take into account an array of factors such as candidate popularity or the state of the national economy to project a winner |
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| congressional elections held between the presidential elections |
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| trend marketing the decline of competitive congressional elections |
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| seat in congress considered to be reliably held by one party or another |
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| rule restricting the number of terms an elected official can be in office |
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| decision to retire from congress based on the unlikelihood of winning the next election |
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| attachement or allegiance to a political party; partisanship |
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| effect of a popular presidential or presidential candidate has on congressional elections, boosting votes for members of his party |
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| hamiltonian model of participation |
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| view of participation that suggests that too much participation is a bad thing and that many people are not well-enough educated to cast votes |
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| well-educated and often wealth people who lead public opinion, such as journalists, politicians, and policy makers |
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| jeffersonian model of participation |
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| view of participation that suggests more is better, That is, as people get involved more they learn more about politics and want to get even more involved |
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| differences in the political attitudes and behavior of men and women |
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| process of learning the customs, attitudes, and values of one's social group, community, or culture |
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| concern for one's own advantage and well-being |
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| goods or benefits provided by government from which everyone benefits and no one can be excluded |
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| attachment or allegiance to a political party; party identification |
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| extent to which people believe their actions can have an impact on public affairs and the actions of government |
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| model of voting that focuses on the context of the election, including whether it is close and whether the rules encourage or discourage participation |
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| practice that requires citizens to vote in elections or face punitive measures such as community service, fines, or imprisonment |
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| used to calculate the rate of participation by dividing the number of people in the county who are over 18 (and hence able to vote) |
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| cycle whereby younger generations replace older generations in the electorate |
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| voting eligible population |
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| used to calculate the rate of participation by dividing the number of voters by the number of people in the country who are eligible rather than just able to vote |
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| protect in which colonists dressed as indians boarded vessels in boston harbor and threw chests of tea overboard to express anger at Britain's tax policies and commercial regulations |
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| method of voting in an election whereby ballots are distributed to voters by post, completed, and returned by post |
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| political power the president claims after a decisive electoral victory |
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| document that lays out a party's core beliefs and policy proposals for each presidential election |
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