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Unit 2 Gov. Vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Political Parties | A group of persons who seek to control government through winning of elections and the holding of public office |
| Partisanship | Governement action based on firm allegiance to a political party |
| Minor Party | One of the political parties not widely supported |
| Bipartisan | Supported by two parties |
| Consensus | General agreement among various groups on fundamental matters; broad agreement on public questions |
| Incumbent | The current officeholder |
| Faction | A conflicting group |
| Electorate | All of the people entitled to vote in a given election |
| Sectionalism | A narrow-minded concern for, or devotion to, the interests of one section of a country |
| Splinter Parties | Parties that have split away from one of the major parties |
| Split ticket voting | Voting for candidates of different parties for different officers at the same election |
| Suffrage | The right to vote |
| Gerrymandering | The drawing of electoral district lines to the advantage of a party or group |
| Poltitical Socializing | The process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinions |
| Independent | A term used to describe people who have no party affliction |
| Direct Primary | An election held within a party to pick that party's candidates for the general election |
| Closed Primary | A party nominating election in which only declared party members can vote |
| Ballot | The device voters use to register a choice in an election |
| Political Action Committee | The political extension of special-interest groups which have a major stake in public policy |
| Soft Money | Money given to State and local party organizations for voting-related activities |
| Hard Money | Campaign money that is subject to regulations by the FEC |
| Public Affairs | Those events and issues that concern the people at large, e.g., politics, public issues, and the making of public policies |
| Mass Media | Those means of communication that reach large audiences, especially television, radio, printed publications, and the Internet |
| Public Opinion Poll | Devices that attempt to collect information by asking people questions |
| Sample | A representative slice of the public |
| Quota Sample | A sample deliberately constructed to reflect several of the major characteristics of given population |
| Public Policy | All of the many goals that a government pursues in all of the many areas of human affairs in which it is involved |
| Labor Union | An organization of workers who share the same type of job, or who work in the same industry, and press for government policies that will benefit their members |
| Propaganda | A technique of persuasion aimed at influencing individual or group behaviors to create a particular belief, regardless of its validity |
| Lobbying | Activities by which group pressures are brought to bear on legislators, the legislative process, and all aspects of the public-policy-making-process |