Chapter8

laws restricting the number of terms an elected representative may serve. The Court has struck down state efforts to limit terms for federal offices, but allowed state laws that limit terms for elected officials at the state level

Congressional districts in which the division of voters between the parties is so lopsided as to virtually ensure one party of victory

selection of officials on teh basis of those receiving the largest number of votes cast - sometimes refers to a proposal to choose teh president and vice president on this basis rather than through the Electoral College

a person chosen to vote for a particular presidential and vice presidential candidate in the Electoral College who nevertheless votes for different candidates

Constitutional amendment held in 1961 granting the District of Columbia three electors in the Electoral College

This institution was established by the Constitution for electing the president and vice president. Electors chosen by teh voters actually elect the president and VP. Each state has a number of electors equal to the total number of its Senators and representatives, while the DOC (as established by the 23rd amendment) has 3 electors

a political party's effort to appeal to a wider cross-section of votes by providing regional or idealogical balance on its nominations for president and vice president

a regularly scheduled general meeting of a political party, held for the purpose of ratifying party policies and deciding on party candidates.

a primary election held across an entire geographic area rather than within a single state

a primary election in which any voter, regardless of party affiliation can participate

a primary election in which only the members of the party holding the election are allowed to participate

election which occurs in November, to choose the candidates who will hold public office, following primary elections held during the spring and summer

preliminary election in which a party picks delegates to a party convention or its candidates for public office

a category of campaign money created by an amendment to the campaign finance laws in 1979, allowing the national parties to raise and spend money, essentially without restriction, for state and local parties, routine operating expenses, and party-building activities, as long as the expenditures are not directly related to any federal campaign

Adopted in 1964, this amendment forbids the use of poll taxes in federal elections. Sine 1966 the court has applied this proscription to state elections also

a pool of money available that is collected by a $3 check off on the federal income tax form and is available to presidential candidates for campaign expenses

a law passed in 1971 and amended several times that regulates campaign financing and requires full disclosure of sources and uses of campaign funds and limits contributions to political candidates

a poll of voters taken as they leave the polling place, usually conducted by teh media to get an advance indication of voting trends and facilitate analysis behind the reasons behind the outcome of the election.

an expert hired by a political candidate to give advice on the use of the mass media, particularly television and direct mail, in a campaign for public office

ratified in 1951, this amendment restricts the president to two terms in office

an election that the public finds uninteresting or unimportant

an election that the public finds interesting and important

to place one's name on the list of citizens eligible to vote

a law further ensuring voting rights which limited residence requirements to 30 days for a presidential election

state laws designed to limit the eligible electorate by requiring citizens to have been a resident of the voting district for a fixed period of time prior to an election

Constitutional amendment adopted in 1971 that fixed the minimum voting age at 18 years

the right of women to vote, bestowed nationally by the 19th amendment in 1920

major legislation designed to overcome racial berriers to voting, primarily in the southern states - extended in 1982 for 25 yeras and again in 2006.

a tax on voting, applied disciminatorily to blacks under "Jim Crow" in the post-Civil War South