AP®︎ Comparative Government: Topic 4.2 Flashcards
Master key terms and definitions for Topic 4.2 of AP Comparative Government – Objectives of Election Rules to help you prep for quizzes and the AP exam.
Proportional Representation
An electoral system awarding parties legislative seats roughly in proportion to their vote shares; it tends to increase party representation and can increase women’s and minority representation
An electoral system awarding parties legislative seats roughly in proportion to their vote shares; it tends to increase party representation and can increase women’s and minority representation
A form of proportional representation in which parties nominate lists of candidates and receive seats according to their vote shares
The minimum vote share a party must receive to participate in the allocation of proportional-representation seats
A legislative electoral system combining single-member district seats with proportional-representation seats
The number of representatives elected from an electoral district
An electoral district that elects one representative, creating an identifiable representative for a particular geographic constituency
A winning rule under which the candidate receiving more votes than any other candidate wins, even without more than half
A system in which one representative is elected per district by plurality, tending to favor two large parties while strengthening geographic accountability
More than half of the votes cast
A system in which the top two candidates compete in a second round if no candidate wins an absolute majority in the first
The candidate receiving a plurality of Mexico’s nationwide popular vote wins the presidency; no absolute majority is required
A candidate must win the most votes nationwide and at least 25 percent of the vote in two-thirds of Nigeria’s states
Election rules requiring majority or broadly distributed support, allowing the winner to claim a national mandate
A claim that electoral support authorizes a winner to govern and pursue a policy agenda
The rules and decisions determining which candidates or parties may appear on an election ballot
Screening prospective candidates to determine whether they may appear on the ballot, potentially excluding ideological opponents
A body that sets or administers rules governing ballot access, voting, and electoral competition
An election-administration body institutionally separated from the incumbent government to reduce fraud and strengthen credible competition
Iran’s unelected 12-member body that vets candidates and reviews laws; the Supreme Leader appoints six members and influences selection of the other six through the judiciary
Mexico’s independent electoral commission, created to reduce manipulation and fraud and make party competition more credible
Nigeria’s election commission, responsible for regulating and administering national elections, registering voters and candidates, and reducing fraud
Nonelectoral selection of institutional members, used either to add expertise and diversity or to extend governing-elite control
Members are formally appointed by the monarch, generally on recommendations from the prime minister or an independent appointments commission
The Supreme Leader appoints six Islamic jurists; six legal jurists are nominated by the judiciary’s head and approved by the Majles
Russia’s regional executive and legislative authorities select representatives to the Federation Council instead of voters electing them directly
A rule requiring a specified share or balance of women among a party’s candidates or on its candidate lists
Legislative seats set aside for specified groups to guarantee them descriptive representation
The period for which an official is elected before the office is again subject to election
A restriction on how many terms an official may serve, distinct from the length of each term
A candidate must win an absolute majority of the popular vote; otherwise, the top two candidates compete in a runoff
A candidate must win an absolute majority of the popular vote; otherwise, the top two candidates compete in a runoff
