Government: Chapter 6-10 Key Concepts Review (Tophat)

Political Participation

• All actions citizens take to influence government (voting, protesting, petitions, meetings, volunteering).

  
  

Direct Democracy

• Citizens directly propose and vote on laws.

  
  

Representative Democracy

• Citizens elect representatives who make laws on their behalf.

  
  

Universal Suffrage

• The modern expectation that all adults can vote.

  
  

Rational Choice Theory

• Voting happens when benefits outweigh costs.

  
  

Political Culture

• State-level values shaping participation (Individualistic, Moralistic, Traditionalistic).

  
  

Institutional Constraints

• Systemic barriers that make voting harder (ID laws, reduced polling places, residency rules).

  
  

Election Type

• Turnout varies by presidential, midterm, primary, and local elections.

  
  

Registration Laws

• Rules for registering to vote

• Same‑day registration increases turnout.

  
  

Early Voting Effect

• More time to vote can reduce urgency, lowering turnout.

  
  

Mail-In Voting

• Convenient but only modestly increases turnout.

  
  

Nonvoters

• People who abstain

• Often younger, less wealthy, more alienated.

  
  

Apathy

• Lack of interest discouraging participation.

  
  

Alienation

• Belief that one’s vote does not matter.

  
  

Core Constituencies

• Groups each party relies on

• (Republicans: older/wealthier; Democrats: younger/diverse).

  
  

Protest Politics

• Non‑voting participation used especially by marginalized groups.

  
  

Voting Rights Act (1965)

• Banned literacy tests

• Protected minority voting rights.

  
  

Shelby v. Holder (2013)

• Ended preclearance

• States gained freedom to change voting laws.

Public Opinion

• Combined values and attitudes of society.

  
  

Value vs Attitudes

• Values = broad beliefs

• Attitudes = specific issue opinions.

  
  

Political Ideology

• Stable belief system about government’s role (liberal vs conservative).

  
  

Representative Sample

• Randomly selected group reflecting the population.

  
  

Margin of Error

• Range of uncertainty around poll results.

  
  

Nonresponse Bias

• People selected for polls do not participate, reducing accuracy.

  
  

Question Wording Bias

• Biased or confusing wording changes responses.

  
  

Social Desirability Bias

• People give socially acceptable answers.

  
  

Endogenous Influences

• Internal factors shaping opinion (race, gender, class).

  
  

Exogenous Influences

• External events shaping opinion (9/11, COVID‑19).

  
  

Interest Group

• Organization influencing government policy.

  
  

Membership Group

• Individuals join voluntarily (NRA, Sierra Club, unions).

  
  

Institutional Interest Group

• Corporations or agencies lobbying for their interests.

  
  

Trade Association

• Industry groups pooling resources (American Beverage Association).

  
  

Right-to-Work Laws

• Ban mandatory union membership

• Weaken unions.

  
  

Lobbyist

• Individual influencing lawmakers on behalf of interest groups.

  
  

Revolving Door Lobbyist

• Former officials who become lobbyists.

  
  

Poll Aggregation

• Combining multiple polls to reduce error.

Split Executive

• Executive power divided among multiple independently elected officials.

  
  

  
  

Governor Powers

• Veto, line‑item veto, executive orders, special sessions, appointments.

  
  

  
  

Line-Item Veto

• Governor vetoes specific parts of a bill.

  
  

  
  

Executive Orders

• Unilateral actions directing state agencies.

  
  

  
  

Budget Power

• Governors often shape state budgets.

  
  

Balancing the Budget

• States must match revenues and expenses

• Limits governor’s requests.

  
  

Professionalization Gap

• Governors have large staff

• Many legislatures are part‑time.

  
  

Veto Override

• Legislature overturns veto

• Rules vary by state.

  
  

Lieutenant Governor Role

• High visibility, few formal powers

• May preside over senate.

  
  

Attorney General (AG)

• State’s chief legal officer

• Litigation, legal opinions, consumer protection.

  
  

NAAG (AG Coordination)

• National association allowing AGs to coordinate and issue joint statements.

  
  

Secretary of State (State Level)

• Oversees elections and state records.

  
  

Copartisan Advantage

• Party controlling election offices gains slight advantage in close elections.

Executive Power in Crises

• Executives act quickly during emergencies

• Major influence over policy.

  
  

Split Executive Conflict

• Different parties controlling different executive offices can clash.

State Legislature

• Lawmaking body of the state.

  
  

Bicameral Legislature

• Two chambers (House + Senate).

  
  

Unicameral Legislature

• One chamber (Nebraska only).

  
  

Quorum Rule

• Minimum number of legislators required to conduct business.

  
  

Disappearing Quorum

• Minority party leaves to block legislative action.

  
  

Representation

• Legislators act for constituents through communication, voting, budgeting, and service.

  
  

Constituency Service

• Legislators help individuals with government issues.

  
  

Descriptive Representation

• Legislators’ identities influence issues they champion.

  
  

Amateur Legislature

• Part‑time, low pay, small staff (Texas).

  
  

Professional Legislature

• Full‑time, high pay, large staff (California).

  
  

Committee System

• Bills assigned to committees

• May advance or die.

  
  

Conference Committee

• Reconciles differences between House and Senate versions of a bill.

  
  

Pocket Veto

• Governor lets bill die by not signing it.

  
  

Sunset Laws

• Require periodic review of programs

• Legislature can terminate by non‑renewal.

  
  

Power of the Purse

• Legislature controls budgeting and spending.

  
  

Redistricting

• Redrawing district lines every 10 years after Census.

  
  

Gerrymandering

• Manipulating district boundaries for partisan advantage.

  
  

Packing & Cracking

• Packing minority voters into few districts

• Cracking them across many.

  
  

Independent Redistricting Commission

• Non‑legislative body drawing district lines.

  
  

Rucho v. Common Cause

• Supreme Court ruled partisan gerrymandering non‑justiciable.

  
  

Term Limits

• Limits on how long legislators can serve.

  
  

Texas Legislature Structure

• 150‑member House, 31‑member Senate

• Meets 140 days every other year.

  
  

Texas Special Sessions

• Governor can call unlimited special sessions.

State Court System

• Courts at state level handling most criminal and civil cases.

  
  

Trial Court

• Court of original jurisdiction

• Determines facts and law.

  
  

General Jurisdiction Court

• Handles wide range of cases.

  
  

Limited Jurisdiction Court

• Handles specific types of cases (juvenile, probate).

  
  

Intermediate Appellate Court

• Reviews trial court decisions

• Focuses on legal questions.

  
  

Court of Last Resort

• Highest state court (usually called Supreme Court).

  
  

Dual Court System

• Federal and state courts operate separately.

  
  

Original Jurisdiction

• Court hears case first.

  
  

Appellate Jurisdiction

• Court reviews decisions from lower courts.

  
  

Bench Trial

• Judge decides facts and law.

  
  

Jury Trial

• Jury decides facts

• Judge decides law.

  
  

Judicial Selection

• Appointment or election of judges.

Judicial Election

• Judges chosen by voters

• May be partisan or non‑partisan.

  
  

Judicial Appointment

• Judges selected by governor or legislature.

  
  

Judicial Retention

• Process for judges to keep their positions.

  
  

Mandatory Retirement Age

• Judges must retire at a set age.

  
  

Judicial Independence

• Ability of judges to make decisions free from political pressure.

  
  

Judicial Ethics

• Rules preventing judges from making promises or biased statements.

Political Socialization

• Process by which people develop political beliefs (family, school, media).

Policy Implementation

• How agencies enforce laws

• Major source of executive power.

  
  

Administrative Discretion

• Agencies interpret laws and make decisions within legal boundaries.

  
  

Legislative Gridlick

• When partisan conflict or quorum denial halts legislative action.

  
  

Public Mandate

• Claim that election victory signals public support for certain policies.

  
  

Political Polarization

• Growing ideological distance between parties

• Affects state politics heavily.