Unit 6 Vocabulary Review Politics and Political Parties

Match the following

• watchdog role

• 2 parties run against one another in elections; only one of the 2 win elections

• one party system

• a party that challenges the two major parties; a minor party

• third party

• The party and the government are nearly the same thing; only members of the party are allowed to run for office; main job is to recruit new members and maintain party discipline

• two party system

• 3 or more parties compete for control of the government; one party rarely wins control so they must work together

• multi-party system

• when a political party or the media lookout for government misconduct, mistakes or misuse of power

Match the following

• plank

• a meeting of political party members to conduct party business

• direct primary

• must be 18, a citizen of the United States, live in the state you wish to vote in

• platform

• one individual part or a platform; one issue

• voter registration requirements

• an election in which voters choose candidates to represent each party in a general election

• caucus

• a series of statements expressing the party's principles, beliefs, and positions on election issues

Match the following

• open primary

• an election in which voters do not need to declare their party preference in order to vote for the party's nominees

• early voting

• voting before election day (usually a few weeks before election day may even include weekends) at a location that is not your assigned polling place to make voting more convenient

• closed primary

• voting on the day of the actual election at your assigned polling place, sometimes even being allowed to register and vote all in one day

• same-day voting

• a way to protect our right to make our electoral choices unhindered and without fear; no one watches who we cast our ballot for

• secret ballot

• an election in which only declared members of a party are allowed to vote for that party's nominees

Match the following

• general election

• when you cast your ballot for all of the same party (all Democrat or all Republican)

• straight-ticket voting

• when voters choose the final candidates for various offices; it always takes place the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

• electorate

• lack of interest; a don't care attitude towards politics and elections

• absentee ballot

• all the people who are eligible to vote

• apathy

• people who know they will be out of town, who are too sick to get the polls, or are military personnel may vote this way

Match the following

• winner-take all system

• when state legislatures redraw district lines for the House of Representatives and other state offices (happens every 10 years when there is a Census)

• referendum

• a way that citizens can approve or reject a state or local law proposed by their legislature

• recall

• the electoral college is described as this; the candidate who wins the popular vote in a state receives all of that state's electors

• redistricting

• a way that citizens can propose new laws or state constitutional amendments by gathering enough signatures on a petition

• initiative

• a special election where citizens can vote to remove a public official from office before their term is up

When the state requires that a government issued identification card (passport, driver's license, etc.) be shown at the time of voting. Some states do this to prevent voter fraud.

• redistricting

• voter identification laws

• winner-take-all system

• early voting vs. same day voting