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ch. 9
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 affairs |
| two party system | a system of government in which two parties compete for power |
| third party | a party that challenges two major parties |
| platform | a series of statements expressing the party's principles, beliefs, and positions on election issues |
| plank | each individual part of political party's platform |
| national committee | representatives from the 50 state party organizations who run a political party |
| precinct | a geographic area that contains a specific number of voters |
| political machine | a strong party organization that can control political appointments and deliver votes |
| direct primary | an election in which voters choose candidates to represent each party in general elections |
| closed primary | an election in which only the declared members of a party are allowed to vote for that party's nominees |
| open primary | an election in which voters need not declare their party preference to vote for party's nominees |
| plurality | the most votes among all those running for a political office |
| majority | a number that is more than 50 percent of the total |
| petition | a process by which candidates who are not affiliated with one of thee two major parties can get on the ballot for the general election most states |
| caucus | a meeting of political party members to conduct party business |
| ward | several geographically connected precincts make up a larger election unit |