AP Gov Chapter 3

partisan polarization

ideological divide between political parties leading to increased conflict and less cooperation

bicameral legislature

lawmaking body with two chambers/parts

filibuster

tactic to defeat a bill in the senate by talking indefinitely and thereby preventing a vote from taking place

majority-minority districts

congressional districts with a majority of the population from racial/ethnic minorities

descriptive representation

citizens are represented by people from the same racial/ethnic background

substantive representation

citizens can elect representatives who will enact policies they favor/agree with regardless of their racial/ethnic background

marginal districts

districts where candidates for the House win elections by very small margins, resulting in close races and greater competition

safe districts

districts where incumbents win by a comfortable margin

conservative coalition

alliance between republicans and conservative (southern) democrats

representational explanation

theory that members of congress vote to please their constituents first, prioritizing their views over other factors

organizational explanation

theory that members of congress vote based on their party’s agenda and leaders (what other congressmembers want is the main factor shaping how representatives vote)

attitudinal explanation

theory that members of congress vote however they want on most issues (vote based on their personal views)

majority leader

legislative leader elected by the members of the party that has senate/house majority

minority leader

legislative leader elected by members of the party with the second-most house/senate seats

whip

senator/representative who keeps the party leader informed on the party’s agenda and party discipline to ensure that people vote as expected

responsible for maintaining order, counting votes, and acting as a conduit between regular senators and the majority/minority leaders in house/senate

speaker (of the house)

presiding officer in the house of representatives; leader of the majority party

party vote

a vote where the majority of one party opposes the majority of another party; most democrats on one side of a bill and most republicans on the other

caucus

association of congressmembers created to push a specific agenda (political ideology or regional/ethnic/economic interest)

standing committees

permanent legislative committees that preside over legislation on a specific topic; exist across sessions of congress

select committees

committees appointed for a limited time and purpose

joint committees

committees that have both senators and representatives serving

conference committee

joint committees appointed to resolve differences in the senate and house versions of a bill

simple resolution

expression of opinion in house or senate to settle procedural matters; addresses issues in only one chamber’s operations and does not have the force of law

concurrent resolution

expression of opinion without the force of law but requires approval of house and senate both (but not the president)

joint resolution

formal expression of congressional opinion, needs approval from both houses + president (constitutional amendments don’t need president’s sign)

discharge petition

method for any house member to petition a committee to bring a bill to the floor after the committee has had it for 30 days

restrictive

order from house rules committee that limits debate and allows only certain kids of amendments to be made to a bill on the floor

closed rule

order from house rules committee that puts a time limit on a debate and forbids a bill from being amended on the floor

open rule

order from house rules committee that allows a bill to be amended on the floor

quorum

minimum number of members that have to be present for congress to conduct business

riders

extra provisions that are added to a bill (even if they’re unrelated to the main topic) so they’ll pass easily with the rest of the bill

christmas tree bill

many riders

cloture rule

senate rule that ends/limits debate

double tracking

senate procedure that allows the session to continue during a filibuster; the bill being debated is temporarily put aside so that other business can be conducted

voice vote

congressional voting procedure that lets members note quickly/anonymously by shouting ‘yea’ or ‘nay’

division vote

congressional voting procedure where members stand to be counted

roll-call vote

congressional voting procedure where members say ‘yea’ or ‘nay’ when their names are called

teller vote

congressional voting procedure where members cross between two tellers, ‘yea’s first and then ‘nay’s

veto

“i forbid”

presidential power to disapprove a bill; can be overridden by a 2/3 vote from each house of congress

omnibus legislation

a single bill that contains a bunch of sub-bills but everything is dealt with together under one vote

divided government

one party controls the white house/presidency while the other controls one/both houses of congress

unified government

the party that controls the white house also controls both houses of congress