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Chapter Nine
Civics and Economics: Chapter Nine Vocabulary
| 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 government 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 positions on election issues |
| Plank | each part of a political party's platform |
| National Committe | representatives from the 50 state party organizations who run a political party |
| Caucus | a meeting of political party members to conduct party business |
| 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 choose candidates to represent each party in a general election |
| 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 the 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 the two major parties can get on the ballot for the general election in most states. |