CHAPTER 8
Elections and Campaigns
IMPORTANT TERMS
*blanket primary
A variant of the open primary in which the voter
receives a ballot that lists the candidates for
nomination of all the parties, enabling the voter to
vote for candidates of different parties. These
have been ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme
Court.
*closed primary
A type of primary in which the voter must be a
registered member of a political party to vote in
that party’s primary.
*coattails (political)
The tendency of lesser-known or weaker
candidates to profit in an election by the presence
of a more popular candidate on the ticket.
electoral coalition
A base of committed partisans supporting an
electoral candidate who also attracts swing votes.
*general election
The second election in a campaign (primary is
first). It determines which party’s nominee will
win office.
*incumbent
The person currently in office.
negative ad
Media advertising meant to cast an unfavorable
light on an opponent.
*office-bloc ballot
A ballot, sometimes called the Massachusetts
ballot, that lists all candidates by office to
minimize a straight party ticket vote. It was an
innovation championed by the Progressives.
*open primary
A type of primary in which the voter can decide
upon entering the voting booth in which party’s
primary to participate.
*party-column ballot
A ballot, sometimes called the Indiana ballot, that
was government-printed and contained a list in
columns of all candidates of each party. A voter
could simply mark the top on one column to vote
for every candidate in that column. It was
replaced by the office-bloc ballot.
*political action committee
A committee, set up by an interest group
representing a corporation, labor union, or other
interest, to contribute financially to candidates and
campaigns.
*position issue
A campaign issue on which the rival parties or
candidates take different positions in order to
reach out for electoral support. It tends to divide
the electorate.
*presidential primary
A special kind of primary used to pick delegates
to the presidential nominating conventions of the
major parties.
*primary election
The first election in a campaign; it determines a
party’s nominee for an office.
*prospective voting
Voting on the basis of a person’s view of
candidates’ positions on the issues.
public finance law
A federal law providing funds to candidates
seeking the presidency. In primaries, matching
funds are available only after eligibility
requirements are fulfilled. In the general election,
the federal government gives candidates of major
parties the option of complete financing.
*realigning or critical periods
Periods during which a sharp, lasting shift occurs
in the popular coalition supporting one or both
parties. The issues that separate the two parties
change, so the kinds of voters supporting each
party change.
realignment
The situation when a new issue of utmost
importance to voters cuts across existing party
divisions and replaces old issues that formed the
basis of party identification.
*retrospective voting
Voting on the basis of how things have gone in
the recent past. If the voter approves of the current
administration’s performance, voting for the party
in the White House or voting against that party if
the voter disapproves.
*runoff primary
A type of primary used in some southern states. If
no candidate gets a majority of the votes in the
first primary vote, the two candidates with the
most votes vie in a second primary election.
*split-ticket voting
An election result in which a congressional
district (or voter) votes for the presidential
candidate of one party and the congressional
candidate of the other party.
spots
Short ads on behalf of a candidate on television.
Such ads may convey a substantial amount of
information.
*straight-ticket voting
Voting for candidates who are all of the same
party; for example, voting for the Republican
candidates for senator, representative, and
president.
theme
An element of campaign strategy that is a simple,
appealing idea that can be repeated over and over
again.
tone
An element of campaign strategy that involves
either a positive (build-me-up) or negative (attackthe-opponent) approach.
*valence issue
A campaign issue that is linked in the voters’
minds with conditions, goals, or symbols that are
almost universally approved or disapproved by the
electorate, e.g., corruption.
visual
A campaign appearance covered in a news
broadcast.