ap gov test 2

Apportionment (reapportionment)

The process of distributing representatives among the states based on population.

Malapportionment

When the way that a group of people is divided up into different voting districts is not fair or against the rules

Gerrymandering

The division of electoral district boundaries in a way that gives one political party an advantage.

Majority minority districts

Districts in which the majority of voters belong to a racial or ethnic minority, which must be roughly equal in sizes and contiguous (touching and cannot be separated).

Shaw v. Reno

A Supreme Court case that ruled racial gerrymandering unconstitutional, requiring that the strict scrutiny standard be applied to districting plans.

Partisan gerrymandering

The practice of drawing electoral district boundaries to guarantee victory for a particular political party.

Baker v. Carr

A court case that established the principle of 'one person, one vote', requiring that districts must be roughly equal in population and contiguous.

Substantive representation

elected officials advocate for policies on behalf of their voters' INTERESTS.

Descriptive representation

The representation of voters by representatives who share similar demographic CHARACTERITICS.

Trustee model

act as seen fit even going against their voters

Delegate model

act with the wishes of their voters.

Politico model

combines trustee and delegate models, act on major issues while taking a trustee approach on lesser ones.

Incumbency advantage

The edge that those already in office have over challengers, often due to advertising, credit claiming, position taking, and logrolling, with a success rate of around 95%.

Logrolling

The practice of exchanging favors, especially in politics, or trading votes to support each other's proposals.

Pork barrel spending

Government spending that is primarily allocated for projects in a representative's district, aimed at winning voters' support.

Discretionary spending

Federal spending that is not required by existing law and can be allocated by Congress as it chooses. CHANGES

Mandatory spending

Federal spending is required by law, no change

Speaker of the House

• Assign bills to the committee 

• 2nd in line for presidency

• Bipartisanship is important 

Senate majority leader

• Recognized first for all debates

• True leader of the majority party

• Influences committee assignments of senators 

• Influences Senate agenda along with minority leader

Minority leader

• Chosen by party members

• Floor leaders and legislative strategist

• minority views

Party Whips

• Assistant floor leader

• Inform party leaders of the “mood” of the House

• Keep nose count on important votes

• Persaude party members to vote with the party

House Rules Committee

Assign bill to a committee, and set up rules for debates, under the direct control of the speaker.

Committee of the Whole

A committee that consists of all House members, allowing them to consider certain legislation as a single group.

Holds

A procedural practice in the Senate where a senator can prevent a motion from reaching the floor for action.

Unanimous consent agreements

skip the debate, straight to the vote

Filibusters

talk a bill to death

Cloture

A procedure used to end a filibuster and bring a bill to a vote, requiring a supermajority.Need ⅔ votes from the senate

Veto

The power of the president to reject legislation passed by Congress.

Pocket veto

A special veto exercised by the president after Congress adjourns, by failing to sign or reject a bill.

Gridlock

government doesn’t do anything cause there is no method to go forward

Divided government

A condition in American politics when one party controls the presidency while another party controls one or both houses of Congress.

Formal/ enumerated powers

Powers specifically granted to the government by the Constitution.

Informal powers

Executive privilege, Executive orders, Executive agreements

Presidential pardons

The power of the president to grant forgiveness for a crime, absolving the person from legal consequences.

Executive privilege

The right of the president to keep certain communications private, especially concerning national security.

Executive agreement

An agreement between the president and a foreign government that does not require Senate approval.

Executive orders

Directives issued by the president to manage operations of the federal government.

Signing statement

the president making a formal commentary on a law

War Powers Resolution

A law intended to check the president's power to commit the U.S. to armed conflict without the consent of Congress.

Executive Office of the President

A group of agencies at the center of the executive branch that provides support to the president and coordinates various aspects of government policy.

Bully pulpit

When a president wants congress to do something but congress wont do it (put public pressure on congress to do what they want)

Going public

The practice of a president appealing directly to the public to gain support for their policies.

Bargaining and persuasion

Strategies used by the president to negotiate with Congress and other political actors to achieve policy goals.

Federalist no. 70

single president is more effective than a dual executive.

Term limits

Laws limiting the number of terms an elected official may serve in a specific office.