Chapter 10 - Voting, Campaigns, and Elections

The notion that a political party will take clear and distinct stands on the issues and enact them as policy when in office

A theory of democratic elections in which voters decide what government will do in the near future by choosing one or another responsible party that best match their own isse perferences

A form of election in which parties seeking votes move toward the median voter

The voter at the eact middle of the politicla issue spectrum

The tendency to vote for the incumbents when times are good and against them when times are bad; same as retrospective voting

A form of election in which voters look back at the performance of a party in power and cast ballots on the basis of how well it did in office

A vote is cast but not counted until determination is made that the voter is properly registered

Representatives selected in each of the states, their numbers based on each state's total number of its senators and representatives, a majority of these votes elects the president

A gathering of delegates who nominates a party's presidential candidate

Procedure that involves state laws or constitutional amendments that are proposed by the legislature and submitted to the voters for approval or rejection

Procesures available in some states for citizens to put proposed laws and constitutional amendements on the ballot for voter approval or rejection

The proportion of eligible voters who actually vote in a given election

It is the responsibility of the people to take it upon yourself to register and vote

Congressional elections that do not coincide with a presidential election

the two elections used to select a party's candidate for the general election