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civics chapter 9
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| political party | an association of voters with broad common interests who want to influence or control decision making in government by electing the party's candidates to public office |
| two-party system | a system of governement in which two parties compete for power |
| third party | a party that challenges the two major parties |
| platform | a series of statements expressing the party's principles, beliefs, and postions on election issues |
| plank | each individual part of a political party's platform |
| national committee | representatives from the 50 state party organizations who run a political party |
| caucus | a meeting of political party members to conduct party buisness |
| precinct | a geographic area that contains a specific number of voters |
| ward | several adjoining precincts making up a larger election unit |
| political machine | a strong party organization that can control political appointments and deliver votes |
| direct primary | an election in which voters chose candidates to represent each party in a general election |
| closed primary | an election in which only the declared memebers of a party are allowed to vote for that party's nominees |
| plurality | the most votes among all those running for a political office |
| majority | a number that is more than 50 percent |
| petition | a formal request for government action |