Chap 14

an organized group of party leaders, officeholders, and voters who work together to elect candidates to political office.

the degree to which a voter is connected to and influenced by a particular political party

voting for all the candidates on the ballot from one political party.

voting for candidates from different parties in the same election.

a set of positions and policy objectives that members of a political party agree to.

the process through which political parties identify potential candidates.

groups of voters who support a political party over time

when the groups of people who support a political party shift their allegiance to a different political party.

a major national election that signals a change in the balance of power between the two parties.

time period when one party wins most national elections.

a trend since 1969, in which one party controls one or both houses of Congress and the president is from the opposing party.

the formal process through which parties choose their candidates for political office.

a person who acts as the voters' representative at a convention to select the party's nominee.

an election in which a state's voters choose delegates who support a particular presidential candidate for nomination or an election by a plurality vote to select a party's nominee for a seat in Congress.

a primary election in which all eligible voters may vote, regardless of their party affiliation.

a primary election in which only those who have registered as a member of a political party may vote.

a process through which a state's eligible voters meet to select delegates to represent their preferences in the nomination process.

usually a party leader or activist who is not pledged to a candidate based on the outcomes of the state's primary or caucus.

a decision by a state to push its primary or caucus to a date as early in the election season as possible to gain more influence in the presidential nomination process.

a meeting where delegates officially select their party's nominee for the presidency.

a trend in which candidates develop their own strategies and raise money with less influence from the party elite.

a system in which two political parties dominate politics, winning almost all elections.

an election system for a legislature in which citizens vote for parties, rather than individuals, and parties are represented in the legislature according to the percentage of the vote they receive.

an election system for choosing members of the legislature where the winner is the candidate who receives the most votes, even if the candidate does not receive a majority of the votes.

a minor political party in competition with the two major parties.