Week 4 - Constituition

Census

the official count of a population

Reapportionment

the process of reassigning representation based on population, after every census

Census

the official count of a population

Reapportionment

the process of reassigning representation based on population, after every census

Redistricting

The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population.

Incumbent

the current officeholder of an elected seat

Gerrymandering

Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power

Safe Seat

An elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other, so the success of that party's candidate is almost taken for granted.

Bill

a proposed law

Filibuster

A procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator refuses to relinquish the floor and thereby delays proceedings and prevents a vote on a controversial issue.

Cloture

A procedure for terminating debate, especially filibusters, in the Senate.

Conference Committee

Members of each house in Congress working to create one identical bill

House of Representatives

435 members, 25 years old, 7 years a citizen and resident of the state

Senate

100 members, 30 years old, 9 years a citizen and a resident of the state

Seniority System

a system that gives the member of the majority party with the longest uninterrupted service on a particular committee the leadership of that committee

Veto Override

reversal of a presidential veto by a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress