a high-tech method of raising money for a political cause or candidate; it involves sending information and requests to people whose names appear on lists of those who have supported similar views or candidates in the past historical periods in which a majority of voters cling to the party in power, which tends to win a majority of the elections an electoral "earthquake" whereby new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party; sometimes marked by a national crisis and may require more than one such election to bring about a new party era the displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period a coalition forged by franklin roosevelt and the democrats, who dominated politics from the 1930s to the 1960s; its basic elements were the urban working class, ethnic groups, catholics and jews, the poor, southerners, african americans, and intellectuals the gradual disengagement of people and politicians from the political parties, as seen in part by shrinkng party identification a term used to describe the fact that many americans are indifferent toward the two major political parties electoral contenders other than the two major parties; these parties are not unusual, but they rarely win elections an electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who come in first in their constituencies; in american presidential elections, the sytem in which the winner of the popular vote in a state receives all the electoral votes of that state an electoral system used throughout most of europe that awards legislative seats to political parties in proportion to the number of votes won in an election

1. direct mail

a high-tech method of raising money for a political cause or candidate; it involves sending information and requests to people whose names appear on lists of those who have supported similar views or candidates in the past

2. party eras

historical periods in which a majority of voters cling to the party in power, which tends to win a majority of the elections

3. critical election

an electoral "earthquake" whereby new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party; sometimes marked by a national crisis and may require more than one such election to bring about a new party era

4. party realignment

the displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period

5. new deal coalition

a coalition forged by franklin roosevelt and the democrats, who dominated politics from the 1930s to the 1960s; its basic elements were the urban working class, ethnic groups, catholics and jews, the poor, southerners, african americans, and intellectuals

6. party dealignment

the gradual disengagement of people and politicians from the political parties, as seen in part by shrinkng party identification

7. party neutrality

a term used to describe the fact that many americans are indifferent toward the two major political parties

8. third parties

electoral contenders other than the two major parties; these parties are not unusual, but they rarely win elections

9. winner-take-all system

an electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who come in first in their constituencies; in american presidential elections, the sytem in which the winner of the popular vote in a state receives all the electoral votes of that state

10. proportional representation

an electoral system used throughout most of europe that awards legislative seats to political parties in proportion to the number of votes won in an election