political party   A group of persons organized primarily for the purpose of controlling government through winning elections and holding public office. Winning elections is the name of the game.

coalitions   Unions of many persons of diverse interests who are election — rather than issue-oriented.

major political party   A broadly based coalition of diverse groups that attempts to gain control of the government by winning elections, in order to exercise power and reward its members. The diverse groups frequently disagree with one another on significant issues.

party activists   Those individuals who perform the day-to-day, grass-roots work of politics.

party-in-the-electorate   Those individuals who perceive themselves as party members; many voters have a party identification that guides and influences their votes.

party identification   Refers to the long-term psychological attachment of the individual for a particular political party.

party as an organization   Organization which has a national office, a full-time staff, rules and bylaws, and budgets. Party activists keep the party running between elections and make its rules. Although American parties are loosely organized at the national, state, and local levels, the party organization pursues electoral victory.

party-in-government   Individuals which consists of elected officials who call themselves members of the party (such as President and Congress). These leaders do not always agree on policy; but they are the main spokespersons of the party.

political action committees   The campaign and election organizations created in recent years by many special interest groups to support their political views.

"loyal opposition"    Commonly referred to as the "out party," whose primary function is to criticize the policies of the party in power.  

linkage institutions   The processes which translate inputs from the public into outputs from the policymakers. They serve as the "bridge" between the public and government, and by definition, NOT government components. There are four main linkage institutions in the United States: parties, elections, interest groups, and the media.

single-member districts   Districts from which one individual is elected from particular boundaries, as opposed from the district-at-large. Single-member districts are the institution that promotes continuation of the two-party system.

party images   Those images which help shape people's party identification — the self-proclaimed preference for one of the parties.

ticket-splitting   Voting for one party for one office and another for other offices, as opposed to straight-ticket voting.

party machines   A party organization that uses specific and material inducements to win party loyalty and power, such as patronage, in which jobs and financial rewards were given by party machines for political reasons rather than for merit or competence. Also know are political machines.

patronage  Process in which jobs and financial rewards were given by party machines for political reasons rather than for merit or competence.

civil service system   System created in the 1880s for the purpose of establishing a merit system for hiring most government workers.

national convention   The convention of each party which meets every four years to write the party's platform and nominate its candidates for president and vice president.

national committee   The national political committee which is composed of representatives from the states and territories and which keeps the party's official national operations going between national conventions.

national chairperson   The individual who carries out the day-to-day activities of the national political party. The national party chairperson hires the staff, raises the money, pays the bills, and attends to the daily duties of the party.

party eras   Those periods throughout American history where one party has been the dominant majority party for long periods of time. Party eras were punctuated, begins, or is made more certain by critical elections, in which new issues appeared that divided the electorate and party coalitions underwent realignment. Critical elections involve and accelerate party realignment.

critical election   Elections which punctuate, begin, or is make more certain various party eras, in which new issues appear that divided the electorate and party coalitions. Critical elections involve and accelerate party realignment. Synonomous with "realigning election."

party realignment    The process whereby a significant proportion of the electorate changes its party affiliation. Usually punctuated by a cricital election.

Federalists   America's shortest-lived major party which was marked by poor organization. The party faded after John Adams was defeated in his reelection bid of 1800, and the party no longer even had a candidate for president after 1820.

Democratic-Republicans   The party, also known as Jeffersonians, that replaced the Federalists. Democratic-Republicans were derived from agrarian interests — which made the party popular in the rural South.

Republican Party   Party which rose in the late 1850s as the anti-slavery party. It was a new party and not just a new version of the Whigs.

New Deal Coalition   Formed during the Great Depression of the 1930s and was responsible for electing and re-electing Democrats. During the New Deal, Blacks largely changed its allegiance from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party.

party dealignment    Description of the process in which people gradually move away from both political parties. It is marked by decreasing influence of both parties on voters and government.

split-level party   Refers to the recent phenomenon in which parties have strong, vigorous organizations but with only mass weak followings in the mass level.

super-delegates    A new category of national convention delegate created by the Democrats in 1984 to make sure that elected public officials as well as party officials are able to attend the national conventin as delegates.

minor party (third party)   Parties which are generally formed around a specific issue or a particular set of issues.

winner-take-all system   System in which the party that receives a plurality (more votes than anyone else, even though it may be less than a majority) is declared the winner.

proportional representation   Process by which legislative seats are allocated according to each party's percentage of the nationwide vote.  It is used in most European countries.

responsible party model   Model which calls for each party to present distinct, comprehensive programs; carry out its program if elected; implement its programs if it is the majority party or state what it would do if it were in power; and accept responsibility for the performance of the government.

political polarization   Described as an increase in the number of people holding extreme political views. It is said to take place and effect the structure of political parties.

Chief Justice Richard Barajas
Advanced Placement U.S. Government and Politics
Cathedral High School, El Paso, Texas
Last updated: October 30, 2000