| A | B |
|---|
| Political Culture | The way in which one believes politics and government ought to be carried out |
| Civic Duty | The belief that one has an obligation to participate in political affairs |
| Orthodox | Belief that morality and religion ought to be of decisive importance |
| Progressive | Belief that personal freedom and solving social problems ought to be of decisive importance |
| Political Efficacy | Belief that one can take part in politics or that government will respond to its citizens |
| Public Opinion | How people think or feel about particular things |
| Poll | A survey of public opinion |
| Random Sample | Method of selecting participants for a poll where everyone has an equal chance |
| Exit Polls | Polls based on interviews conducted on Election Day by randomly selecting voters |
| Political Socialization | Process by which background traits influence one's political View |
| Gender Gap | Difference in political views between men and women |
| Political Ideology | Set of beliefs about what policies government ought to pursue |
| Political Party | Group that seeks to elect candidates to public office |
| Critical Elections | Periods when a major and lasting shift occurs in public support for one party |
| Split Ticket | Voting for candidates of different parties for elected offices |
| Staright Ticket | Voting for candidates who are all of the same party |
| Office-Bloc Ballot | Ballot listing all candidates in alphabetical order by last name for the same office |
| Party-Column Ballot | Ballot that lists candidates by party identification |
| National Convention | A meeting of party delegates held every four years |
| National Committees | Delegates who run party affairs between national conventions |
| National Chairman | Day-to-day party manager elected by the national committee |
| Superdelegates | Party leaders and elected officials who become delegates to the national convention without having to run in primaries or caucuses |
| Political Machine | Party organization that recruits members by dispensing patronage |
| Two-Party System | An electoral system with two dominant parties in the national elections |
| Plurality System | In an election, the winner is the person who has the most votes, not necessarily a majority |
| Caucus | Meeting of party members to select delegates backing one or another primary candidate |
| Bureaucracy | A large, complex organization composed of appointed officials |
| Laissez-Faire | An economic theory that government should not regulate or interfere with commerce |
| Discretionary Authority | Appointed bureaucrats can make laws and policies not spelled out by current laws |
| Red Tape | Complex bureaucratic rules that must be followed to get something done |
| Legislative Veto | Authority of Congress to block a presidential action after it has taken place |
| Trust Funds | Funds for government programs that are collected and spent outside of the budget |
| Appropriation | Legislative grant of money to finance a government program |
| Authorization Legislation | Legislative permission to begin or continue a government program |
| Iron Triangle | Close relationship between an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group |
| Issue Network | Members of Washington, Interest Groups, or think tanks that regularly discuss public policies |
| Name-Request Job | Job already filled, but still goes through proper channels for hiring process |
| Competitive Service | Government offices to which people are appointed by merit through a written exam or other criteria |
