APGov – #'s & %'s (Key Numbers, Votes & Procedures)

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing essential numbers, vote thresholds, and constitutional requirements for AP U.S. Government.

Pass a bill

Requires a simple majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Confirm cabinet members

Simple majority vote in the Senate.

Confirm Supreme Court justices

Simple majority vote in the Senate; 60 votes are needed to invoke cloture on a filibuster (51 for most other nominations since 2013).

Impeach the President or a Supreme Court justice

Simple majority vote in the House of Representatives brings formal charges.

Cloture

Procedure to end debate in the Senate; normally 60 votes, though lowered to 51 for most confirmations in 2013.

Convict and remove the President or a justice

Requires a two-thirds (2⁄3) vote of the entire Senate; abstentions count as ‘No’ votes.

Number of Representatives

435 voting members in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Number of Senators

100 senators (two per state).

Total electoral votes

538 (435 Representatives + 100 Senators + 3 for the District of Columbia).

Electoral votes needed to win the presidency

270, a majority of the 538 total electoral votes.

Plurality

Receiving more votes than anyone else but not necessarily a majority (e.g., Clinton’s 43 % in 1992).

Majority (general definition)

More than half; 50 % plus one vote.

States needed to ratify the Constitution (1788)

Nine of the thirteen states.

Year the Constitution was ratified

1788 (the First Congress convened in 1789).

Total constitutional amendments

27 amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

Bill of Rights

The first 10 amendments to the Constitution.

14th Amendment Due Process Clause

Primary constitutional basis for incorporation (nationalization) of the Bill of Rights against the states.

Propose a constitutional amendment

Requires a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate.

Ratify a constitutional amendment

Requires approval by three-fourths (3⁄4) of the state legislatures (or conventions).

Number of Supreme Court justices

Nine (one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices), set by statute.

Senate term length

Six years per term.

House term length

Two years per term.

PAC contribution limit

$5,000 per election from an individual to a PAC and from a PAC to a candidate.

Minimum age to be a Representative

25 years old.

Minimum age to be a Senator

30 years old.

Minimum age to be President

35 years old.

Representative citizenship requirement

Must have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years.

Senator citizenship requirement

Must have been a U.S. citizen for at least nine years.

Presidential citizenship requirement

Must be a natural-born citizen and have resided in the U.S. for at least 14 years.

Absolute majority

More than half of the total membership; abstentions count as ‘No’ votes (e.g., 6 of 10 members must vote ‘Yea’).

Ratify an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution

Requires an absolute majority; abstentions count as ‘Nay.’

Ratify a treaty

Requires a two-thirds vote of the U.S. Senate; executive agreements bypass this requirement.

Declare war

Simple majority vote in both houses of Congress (used five times in U.S. history).

Confirm a new Vice President (vacancy)

Majority vote in both the House and the Senate under the 25th Amendment.