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Political Science /Primary and General Elections

Primary and General Elections

Political Science20 CardsCreated about 2 months ago

This deck covers key concepts related to primary and general elections, including terms like gerrymandering, redistricting, and voting rights.

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Primary Elections

an election in which party members or voters select from candidates within a party to determine who will run in the general election
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Key Terms

Term
Definition
Primary Elections
an election in which party members or voters select from candidates within a party to determine who will run in the general election
General Election
an election in which all or most members of a given political body are up for (re)election
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Reapportionment
reallocation of 435 seats in the House of Representatives based on changes in residency/population found in census
Gerrymandering
drawing of district lines to give an electoral majority to one party in a large # of districts; while limiting opposition
Partisan Gerrymandering
the drawing of district lines to give a party more house reps in a state than it deserves
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Wasted Vote (cracking)
spreads opposition across many districts to keep them in the minority
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Primary and General Elections
TermDefinition
Primary Elections
an election in which party members or voters select from candidates within a party to determine who will run in the general election
General Election
an election in which all or most members of a given political body are up for (re)election
Reapportionment
reallocation of 435 seats in the House of Representatives based on changes in residency/population found in census
Gerrymandering
drawing of district lines to give an electoral majority to one party in a large # of districts; while limiting opposition
Partisan Gerrymandering
the drawing of district lines to give a party more house reps in a state than it deserves
Wasted Vote (cracking)
spreads opposition across many districts to keep them in the minority
Excess Vote (packing)
act of taking as many voters from the opposite party as possible and cramming them all into one district
Stacked Gerrymandering
links distant areas of 'like-minded voters' through oddly shaped boundaries
Hijacking
the act of taking two sitting congressman from the same party and putting them both into the same district, thereby guaranteeing that one of them will be knocked out
Faithless Electors
member of the ELECTORAL COLLEGE - who doesn't vote according to promised party lines
Redistricting
the redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population
Minority Majority
when a minority population of the U.S. becomes the majority population within a voting region (like a state or district)
Bipartisan Gerrymandering
the act of both parties making each of their districts safe for their incumbents
National Convention
meet every four years to nominate the party's Presidential ticket and write its platform
Bipartisan commissions
consist of members from both parties to draw district lines to make them fair
Shortest split-line algorithm
continuously splices a state in half until the desired number of districts are achieved
Independent commissions
consist of independent experts who draw the lines themselves
Voting Qualifications (4)
-Citizenship -Residence -Registration -No felonies in criminal records
Voting Rights Act of 1965 (4)
-Prohibits any gov't from using voting procedures that deny right to vote on basis of race/color -Outlaws literacy tests -People eligible to vote in all elections -Fed. Gov't. power to register voters (Fed. Registrars)
Motor Voter Law
allows people to register to vote while applying for their drivers' license