Electoral Process Word Scramble

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Term	Definition
Nomination	the process of candidate selection in a democracy; the naming of those who will seek office
general elections	the regularly scheduled election at which voters make a final selection of officeholders
caucus	as a nominating device, a group of like-minded people who met to select the candidates they will support in an upcoming election
direct primary	an election held within a party to pick that party’s candidate for the general election
closed primary	a party nominating election in which only declared party members can vote
open primary	a party-nominating election in which any qualified voter can take part
blanket primary	a voting process in which voters receive a long ballot containing the names of all contenders, regardless of party, and can vote however they choose
runoff primary	a primary in which the top two vote-getters in the first direct primary face one another
non partisan elections	elections in which candidates are not identified by party labels
absentee voting	provisions made for those unable to get to their regular polling places on election day
coattail effect	the effect of a strong candidate running for an office at the top of a ballot helping to attract voters to their candidates on the party’s ticket
precinct	the smallest unit of election administration; a voting district
polling place	the place where the voters who live in a certain precinct go to vote
ballot	the device voters use to register a choice in an election
political action committees (PACs)	the political extension of special interest groups which have a major stake in public policy
subsidy	a grant of money, usually from a government
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 opinion	those attitudes held by a significant number of people on matters of government and politics
public affairs	those events and issues that concern the people at large
mass media	means of communication that reach large, widely dispersed audiences simultaneously
opinion leaders	any person who, for any reason, has an unusually strong influence on the views of others
mandate	the instructions or commands a constituency gives to its elected officials
public opinion polls	devices that attempt to collect information by asking people questions
straw vote	polls that seek to read the public’s mind by simply asking the same question of a large number of people
universe	the whole population that a poll tries to measure
sample	a representative piece of the total universe
random sample	a certain number of randomly selected people who live in a certain number of randomly selected places
quota sample	a sample deliberately constructed to reflect several of the major characteristics of a given population
medium	a means of communication; something which transmits information
public agenda	the public issues on which the people’s attention is focused
sound bites	short, sharply focused reports that can be aired in 30 sec.

Created by: Imari Wright