| A | B |
|---|
| Electorate | all of the people entitled to vote in a given election |
| Franchise/suffrage | the right to vote |
| Major party | in American politics the Republican and Democratic parties |
| Minor party | one of the political parties not widely supported |
| Off-year election | congressional election that occurs between presidential election years |
| Political efficacy | one's own influence or effectiveness on politics |
| Political party | group of persons who seek to control government through the winning of elections and holding of public office |
| Political socialization | process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinions |
| Partisanship | government action based on firm allegiance to a political party |
| Two-party system | political system dominated by two major parties |
| Split-ticket voting | voting for candidates of different parties for different offices at the same election |
| Nomination | the process of candidate selection in a democracy |
| General election | the regularly scheduled election at which voters make a final selection of office holders |
| Direct primary | an election held within a party to pick that party's candidates for the general election |
| Public opinion | the complex collection of the opinions of many different people |
| Public opinion poll | devices that attempt to collect information by asking people questions |
| Mass media | those means of communication that reach large audiences |
| Interest group | private organizations whose members share certain views and work to shape public policy |
| Propaganda | technique of persuasion aimed at influencing individual or group behaviors to create a particular belief |
| Lobbying | activities by which group pressures are brought to bear on legislators, the legislative process and all aspects of the public policy making process |
| Grass roots | of or from the people, the average voters |
