| A | B |
|---|
| Political Party | Group of people that seek to control government through winning elections and holding public office. |
| U.S. Major Parties | Democrats and Republicans |
| Partisanship | The strong support of a party and its policy stands |
| Two-Party System | System present in U.S.; only Democrats or Republicans have a reasonable chance of winning any given election |
| Minor Party/Third Party | A political party not part of the two-party system without widespread support |
| Bipartisanship | Supported by both of the two major political parties |
| Split-ticket Voting | Voting for candidates of two different parties for different offices at the same time |
| Voting Requirements | 18 years of age, citizen, resident of State in whihc you wish to cast your ballot |
| Straight-ticket Votin | The practice of voting for candidates of only one party in an election |
| Independents | Poeple who have no party affiliation |
| FEC | Federal Election Commission; set campaign financing laws |
| Political Action Committee | Groups that raise and donate money to candidate's that support their views |
| Hard Money | Money subject to reporting by the FEC |
| Soft Money | Money not subject to reporting; diverted to "party-buiding activities" |
| Public Opinion | The attitudes held by a significant number of people on matters of government and politics |
| Mass Media | Means of communication that reach large, widely dispersed audiences simultaneously. |
| Interest Groups | Private organizations whose members share certain views and objectives and work to shape the making and the content of public policy. |
| Television | Replaced newspapers as principal source of political information; most expensive campaign advertisement |
