| A | B |
|---|
| Political party | group of voters with common interests and political ideas |
| partisianship | making decisions based only on party loyalty |
| bi-partisianship | willingness to work & compromise with the other party to solve problems |
| third party | outside party that challenges the major 2 parties |
| one party system | Political system where the party and the government are the same - like in Communist China |
| multi-party system | Political system where there are many parties - like in England, Germany & Canada |
| platform | series of statement outlining the party’s views on various topics |
| plank | each individual part of the platform (ex. Health care, education, defense) |
| precinct | – area that contains a specific number of voters |
| grassroots | movement takes place when a candidate tries to get the support of regular people at the local level |
| political machine | strong party organization that dominates politics and can often lead to corruption |
| primary election | election (often held in the spring) in which voters choose their party’s candidate for the general election |
| general election | held the 1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday in November; candidates from each party face off & voters vote on issues |
| recall election | special election in which citizens can vote to remove an official from office |
| referendum | election to approve or reject local and state laws & constitutional amendments |
| initiative | used for citizens to propose new laws or amendments |
| electoral college | Group of people responsible for electing the President |
| soft money | donations given to specific political parties & not to specific candidates |
| incumbents | the candidate who is in office & is seeking re-election (like Obama in 2012) |
| PAC (political action committee) | organizations set up by corporations, labor unions, & special interest groups to give money to specific candidates |
| Precinct | voting district |
| plurality | when the candidate with the most votes wins; usually takes place in a primary election with more than 2 candidates |
| absentee ballot | ballot sent to people who can’t make it on Election Day |
| apathy | laziness or lack of interest |
| public opinion | what people think about different issues |
| special interest groups | groups of people who have an interest in getting laws passed pertaining to a certain interest (like the environment or gun control) |
