Texas Gov. 2306

floor leaders

The legislators who are responsible for getting legislation passed or defeated.

political culture

dominant political values and beliefs of a people

conservative

political ideaolody marked by the belief in a limited gov role

liberal

political ideaology makred by the advocacy of using gov to improve welfare

bicultural

Encompassing two cultures.

NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement)

a treaty that has helped remove trade barriers

Maquiladoras

Mexican factories where U.S. corporations employ inexpensive Mexican labor for assembly and piecework

metroplex

The greater Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.

KKK

a white supremacist group

Demogrpahics

describing a population according to selected characteristics such as age, gender, ethnicity, income, and occupation

ranchero culture

A quasi-feudal system whereby a property's owner, or patron, gives workers protection and employment in return for their loyalty and service.

creole

Descendants of the Europeans in Latin America, usually implies an upper class status.

mestizo

A person of mixed Spanish and Native American ancestry.

the valley

WAn area along the Texas side of the Rio Grande River known for its production of citrus fruits.

white primary

the practice of keeping blacks from voting in the southern states' primaries through arbitrary use of registration requirements and intimidation

unitary system

System of government in which all power is invested in a central government.

confederal system

a system where the subnational governments (States) have most of the power

federal system

A government that divides the powers of government between the national government and state or provincial governments

delegated powers

Powers specifically given to the federal government by the US Constitution, for example, the authority to print money.

expressed powers

powers that congress has that are specifically listed in the constitution

implied powers

Powers inferred from the express powers that allow Congress to carry out its functions.

inherent powers

delegated powers that come with an office or position- powers evolved overtime

reserved powers

Powers given to the state government alone

cconcurrent powers

shared between fed gov and states

supremacy clause

Federal law is supreme over state law

tenth amendment

Amendment stating that the powers not delegated to the federal gov. are reserved to the states

commerce clause

congress the power to regulate commerce between states

nesessary and proper clause

Also known as the elastic clause, gives congress power to make laws if deemed "necessary and proper".

dual federalism

the understanding that the federal and state gov are both sovereign within their sphere of influence

cooperative federalism

A relationship where "the National Government and the States are mutually complementary parts of a single government mechanism all of whose powers are intended to realize the current purposes of government according to their applicability to the problem in hand."

catagorical grants

Federal grants for specific purposes, such as building an airport

block grants

Federal grants to state or local governments for more general purposes and with fewer restrictions than categorical grants.

Devolution

The attempt to enhance the power of state or local governments, especially by replacing relatively restrictive categorical grants-in-aid with more flexible block grants.

seperate but equal doctrine

The doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson that African Americans could constitutionally be kept in seperate but equal facilities.

Jim Crow Laws

State and local laws that mandated racial segregation in all public facilities in the South, many border states, and some northern communities between 1876 and 1964.

preclearance

any administration or legislative change to the rules governing elections in covered states must be submitted for preapproval

Coercive Federalism

A relationship between the national government and states in which the former directs the states on policies they must undertake.

unfunded mandates

obligation the federal government imposes on state gov while provide no funding

legitimacy

General public acceptance of government's "right to govern."

homesteads

Owner-occupied properties protected from forced sale under most circumstances.

community property

property obtained during the course of the marriage

common law

Law developed through court decisions.

long ballot

A ballot that results from the independent election of a large number of executive and judicial officers; giving the chief executive the power to appoint most executive and judicial officers results in a short ballot.

statutory law

law passed by legislatures and written into books of code

write of habeas corpus

a court order to present a person and show the legal cause for confining the individual

seperation of powers

the principle behind the concept of government in which power is distributed amound 3 branches

checks and balances

A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power

bicameral

consisting of 2 houses- senate and house of reps

biennial regular sessions

In Texas, regular legislative sessions are scheduled by the constitution. They are held once every two years and, hence, are referred to as biennial regular sessions.

special sessions

A legislative session called by the Texas governor, who also sets its agenda.

deadwood

Inoperable constitutional provisions that have been either voided by a conflicting U.S. constitutional or statutory law or made irrelevant by changing circumstances and contexts.

directive power

The power to issue binding orders to state agencies.

budgetary power

The power to recommend to the legislature how much it should appropriate for various executive agencies.

line item veto

the power to strike out sections of a a bill without vetoing the entire bill

reduction veto

The power to reduce amounts in an appropriations bill without striking them out altogether; this power is not available to Texas's governor.

pocket veto

president's power to kill a bill, if Congress is not in session, by not signing it for 10 days (no longer avaiable to tx governor)

partisan elections

General elections in which political parties nominate candidates whose party labels appear on the ballot.

initiative

process that permits voters to put legislative measures directly on the ballot

Referendum

an election whereby the state legislature submits proposed legislation or state constitutional amendments to the voters for approval

popular recall

A special election to remove an official before the end of his or her term, initiated by citizen petition (permitted in some Texas cities but not at the state level).

proposal of constitutional amendments

In Texas, the proposal of a constitutional amendment must be supported by two-thirds of the total membership of each house of the legislature—at least 21 senators and 100 representatives.

Ratification of the Constitutional amendments

To actually put a constitutional amendment into effect requires approval by a majority of those persons voting on the amendment in either a regular or a special election.

voter turn out

the percentage of eligible citizens who actually vote in a given election

voting-age population

the number of citizens over eighteen

direct primary

A method of selecting party nominees in which party members participate directly in the selection of a candidate to represent them in the general election.

runoff primary

A second primary election held when no candidate wins a majority of the votes in the first primary

open primary

A primary election in which voters may choose in which party to vote as they enter the polling place

closed primary

A primary in which only registered members of a particular political party can vote

crossover voting

When members of one political party vote in the other party's primary to influence the nominee that is selected.

plurality vote

an election rule in which the candidate wiht the most votes win even if less than 50%

party column ballot

ballot in which candidates are arranged by party rather than office. Encourages straight ticket voting.

straight ticket voting

casting votes only for candidates of one's party

split ticket voting

voting for candidates of different parties for different offices at the same election

office block ballot

a type of ballot that arranges all the candidates for a particular office under the name of that office

Australian ballot

vote in secret

early voting

an accommodation that allows voting up to two weeks before Election Day

electronic voting

touch screen

negative campaigning

The act of attacking an opposing candidate's platform, past political performance, or personal characteristics.

Politcal action comminitees

organizations that raise and then contribute money to political candidates

soft money

Campaign contributions unregulated by federal or state law, usually given to parties and party committees to help fund general party activities.

independent expenditures

Expenses on behalf of a political message that are made by groups that are uncoordinated with any candidate's campaign.

two party system

A political system dominated by two major parties

pragmatism

A philosophy which focuses only on the outcomes and effects of processes and situations.

valence issues

Issues on which virtually all of the public agree, for instance, such as peace and prosperity.

position issues

an issue about which the public is divided

decentralization

exercise of power at the state and local levels of government in addition to the national level

party realignment

The displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period.

partisan identification

a person's attachment to one political party or the other

dealignment

When increasing numbers of voters choose not to identify with either of the two parties and consider themselves to be independents.

evangelical (fundamentalist) Christians

A bloc of conservative Christians who are concerned with such issues as family, religion, abortion, gay rights, and community morals, and often support the Republican Party.

party platform

The formal issue positions of a political party; specific elements are often referred to as "planks" in the party's platform.

tea party

A faction or groups of very conservative Republicans generally resistant to compromise of its principles.

tipping

A phenomenon that occurs when a group that is becoming more numerous over time grows large enough to change the political balance in a district, state, or country.

swing voters

Voters who frequently swing their support from one party to another.

precinct convention

a gathering of party members who voted in the party's primary for the purpose of electing delegates to the county or district convention

Presidental Preference Primary

a primary election that allows voters to express their preferneces among the candidates seeking to become their party;s presidential nominee

interest group

A voluntary organization that strives to influence public policy; sometimes known as a pressure group.

lobbying

direct contact made by an interest group representative in order to persuade government officials to support the policies their interest group favors

implementation

Administrative agencies carrying out broad public policies, enforcing state laws, providing public services, and managing day-to-day government activities.

discretion

Wide latitude to make decisions within the broad requirements set out in the law.