Ch. 7 Political Parties vocabulary

a group of individuals who organize to win elections, operate the government, and determine policy.

a process in which the popular support for and relative strength of the parties shift and the parties are reestablished with different coalitions of supporters.

among voters, a growing detachment from both major political parties.

the political party that has fewer members in the legislature than the opposing party.

the political party that has more members in the legislature than the opposing party.

• an alliance of individuals or groups with a variety of interests and opinions who join together to support all or part of a political party
• s platform.

all of the citizens eligible to vote in a given election.

a person who identifies himself or herself as being a supporter of a particular political party.

a party member who helps to organize and oversee party functions and planning during and between campaigns, and may even become a candidate for office.

mutual agreement among the members of a particular group.

a system of rewarding the party faithful and workers with government jobs or contracts.

a local unit of a political party's organization, consisting of a division or district within a city.

a political district within a city, such as a block or a neighborhood, or a rural portion of a county; the smallest voting district at the local level.

the meeting held by each major party every four years to nominate presidential and vice-presidential candidates, write a party platform, and conduct other party business.

a list of a political party's candidates for various offices. In national elections, the party ticket consists of the presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

the document drawn up by each party at its national convention that outlines the policies and positions of the party.

the political party leaders who direct party business during the four years between the national party conventions, organize the next national convention, and play how to obtain a party victory in the next presidential election.

an individual who serves as a political party's administrative head at the national level and directs the work of the party's national committee.

a political system in which two strong and established parties compete for political offices.

in the United States, any party other than one of the two major parties (Republican and Democratic.)