Vocabulary

Unit 6 People and Politics

Campaign

• An organized effort to gather support for a candidate.

Conservative

• A political ideology in which a person wants to keep things the way the are, and want less change. They prefer a small government with less social programs, and more individual responsibility for success.

Canvassing

• Going through neighborhoods asking for votes or taking public opinion polls.

Interest Groups

• People with similar points of view who work together to promote that point of view.

Referendum

• An election in which voters can approve or reject a local or state law.

Precinct

• A geographical area that contains a specific number of voters.

Bias

• A one sided or slanted point of view.

Propaganda

• Technique used to promote a particular person or idea.

Candidate

• A person seeking an elected government office.

Platform

• A political party’s statement of its goals and positions on public issues. It is made up of a series of planks.

Liberal

• A political ideology in which a person is open to new ideas, and willing to initiate change or reform. They prefer a large government that can address social issues and provide programs to help groups achieve success.

Political Action Committee (PAC)

• An organization established to raise money to support an issue or candidate.

Nominate

• To choose a candidate to run for political office.

Lobbying

• An organized effort to persuade government officials to support a particular group or position on an issue.

Political center- moderate

• Political center- moderate: A political ideology in which a person’s opinions and beliefs are not strong or extreme. The majority of Americans fall into this category.

Straight Ticket

• The practice of voting for all the candidates of one political party.

Editorials

• a writing or cartoon based on opinion of political events that is published in a newspaper or magazine and is designed to promote discussion about an issue.

Convention

• a large gathering of people who share a common interest including formal gatherings of people for political purposes.

Plank

• An item of a political party’s platform. Specific statements about how a political party’s stand on the issues.

Caucus

• A meeting of political party members to conduct party business. Usually to nominate a candidate to run for office.

Popular Vote

• Votes cast directly by the people.

Split Ticket

• The practice of voting for candidates of different political parties in an election.

Recall

• An elections in which voters can remove a public official from office.

Political Party

• An organization made up of people who share similar issues about the way the country should be governed.