AP Gov Mock Congress Elections West Wing Projects Terms25-26

Partisan voting

Voting by House and Senate members that is aligned with political party affiliation.

Polarization

Division into opposing political factions that can make policymaking more difficult.

Divided government

Control split between Congress and President.

Lame duck president

Outgoing president with limited power, which can increase partisan conflicts in the Congress.

Gridlock

Inability to pass legislation due to conflict.

Gerrymandering

Manipulating district boundaries for political advantage.

Redistricting

Redrawing electoral district boundaries after census.

Baker v. Carr

Facts

• Tennessee still used district lines from 1900 in the year 1950 despite demographic changes

• Both urban and rural areas in Tennessee had 1 representative in its general assembly

• Charles Baker argued that it wasn't fair because Memphis had less representation than rural towns

Legal issue

• equal protection clause in 14th amendment, their vote in urban areas was devalued because they had less representation than rural areas

Holding + reasoning

• There was an equal protection violation, and the courts can rule on this

• The districts were no longer accurate to the demographic changes and the state must change them

Filibuster

Senate tactic to delay or block legislation.

Cloture

Procedure to end a filibuster with 60 votes.

Trustee

Representative making decisions based on own judgment.

Delegate

Representative acting according to constituents' wishes.

Politico

Representative balancing trustee and delegate roles.

Proportional representation

Seats allocated based on population size.

Speaker of the House

Leader of the House of Representatives.

Revenue bills

Legislation related to government income, which is a power the House of Representatives has.

Rules Committee

House committee managing legislative procedures.

Committee of the Whole

House sitting as a single committee, often as a way to pass legislation quickly.

Discharge petitions

House procedure to bring a bill to vote, which can be introduced by a single member of the House..

Equal representation

Each state has same number of senators.

Unanimous consent

Agreement required to expedite Senate procedures.

President of the Senate

Term for the presiding officer of the Senate, typically the Vice President or Present pro Tempore.

Holds

Senate measure where a Senator can request more information or delay consideration of a bill, usually before the Senate achieves Unanimous Consent to continue.

Republicanism

Political ideology emphasizing representative government.

Bicameral

Legislature with two chambers or houses.

Enumerated powers

Specific powers granted to Congress by Constitution.

Implied powers

Powers not explicitly stated but necessary.

Constituencies

Groups represented by elected officials.

Stakeholders

Individuals or groups with interest in legislation.

Party leadership

Elected officials guiding party direction.

Committee leadership

Heads of committees managing legislative processes.

Conference committee

Group resolving differences between House and Senate bills.

Discretionary spending

Government spending not mandated by law.

Mandatory spending

Required government spending for entitlement programs.

Pork-barrel legislation

Funding for local projects to gain support.

Logrolling

Exchange of favors in legislative voting.

Political participation

The many different ways that people take part in politics and government

Suffrage

the right to vote

Political efficacy

The belief that one's political participation makes a difference.

Rational-choice voting

Voting based on what is perceived to be in the citizen's individual interest

Retrospective voting

voting based on the past performance of a candidate or party

Prospective voting

voting for a candidate because you favor his or her ideas for handling issues

Party-line voting

Supporting a party by voting for multiple candidates from one political party for all public offices at the same level of government.

Voter turnout

the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election

Poll tax

A requirement that citizens pay a tax in order to register to vote. This barrier to voting was overturned by the 24th Amendment.

Voter registration laws

Laws that require individuals to first place their name on an electoral roll in order to be allowed to vote

Mid-term (congressional)

elections

The House and Senate elections that don't occur in Presidential election years.

Presidential elections

Elections held in years when the president is on the ballot.

Political parties

Linkage institutions that help connect possible voters with politicians who have similar ideologies and policy preferences. They are responsible for choosing Presidential candidates to run in the general election.

Interest groups

private organizations, often focusing on single issues, whose members share certain views and work to shape public policy

Linkage institutions

The channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda. In the United States, these include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.

Electorate

the citizens eligible to vote

Voter mobilization / Get out the vote

A party's efforts to inform potential voters about issues and candidates and to persuade them to vote

Swing states

States that are not clearly pro-Republican or pro-Democrat and therefore are of vital interest to presidential candidates, as they can determine Electoral College results.

Party platforms

A political party's statement of its goals and policies for the next four years. It is the best formal statement of a party's beliefs.

candidate recruitment

Role of political parties where they ask viable candidates to run and target seats they see as winnable

Media strategy

Role of political parties where they choose the media that will bring the most effective advertising message to the targeted consumer

Critical elections

An electoral "earthquake" where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party.

Party Realignment

A process in which a substantial group of voters switches party allegiance, producing a long-term change in the political landscape.

Third Party Candidate

Someone who represents a political party that is neither Democrat nor Republican

Proportional voting system

A system in which each party receives a percentage of seats in a representation assembly that is roughly comparable to its percentage of the popular vote.

winner-take-all system

an election system in which the candidate with the most votes wins

free rider problem

For an interest group, the problem of people not joining because they can benefit from the group's activities without joining.

single-issue groups

Interest groups that have a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics.

Lobbying

A strategy by which interest groups seek to influence the passage of legislation by exerting direct pressure on members of the legislature.

amicus curiae brief

Literally, a "friend of the court" brief, filed by an individual or organization to present arguments in addition to those presented by the immediate parties to a case.

incumbency advantage

The electoral advantage a candidate enjoys by already being elected and generally having name recognition and fundraising.

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 election in which voting is limited to already registered party members

Caucuses

Alternative to a Presidential primary where political parties hold meetings where voters discuss candidates with their neighbors before choosing a candidate to support.

Party conventions

A meeting of party delegates to vote on the platform and select a candidate for the Presidential election.

National popular vote

A new plan where states would award their electoral votes to the candidate who gets the most popular votes nationwide

Professional campaign consultants

Contemporary local, state, and national campaigns increasingly rely on these people to run campaigns

Soft money

Money raised in unlimited amounts by political parties for party-building purposes.

Hard money

Political contributions given directly to a party, candidate, or interest group that are limited in amount and fully disclosed.

"Stand-by-your-ad" provision

Requires candidates in the United States for federal political office, as well as interest groups and political parties supporting or opposing a candidate, to include in political advertisements on television and radio a statement by the candidate that identifies the candidate and states that the candidate has approved the communication.

Political Action Committee (PAC)

A committee set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations

Horserace journalism

The claim that the media is more interested in covering a campaign like a horserace focusing more on who is ahead rather than in-depth coverage of issues.

Gatekeeper

The description of how media can influence what subjects become national political issues and for how long.

Watchdog

The role played by the national media in investigating political personalities and exposing scandals.

Media Bias

The bias or perceived bias of journalists and news producers within the mass media in the selection of events and stories that are reported and how they are covered

Consumer driven media

Media decisions that are Influenced by the actions and needs of consumers

Pocket veto

Indirect veto by not signing legislation.

Executive Order

Presidential directive with force of law, created based on existing legislation.

Signing statement

Presidential commentary on legislation signed, often with a public event

Federalist 70

Advocates for a strong, singular executive.

22nd Amendment

Limits presidential terms to two.

State of the Union

Annual address by the President to Congress.

Bully pulpit

President's platform to advocate agenda, communicated directly to the people by using media outlets.

Bureaucracy

Administrative system managing government functions.

Iron triangles

Stable relationships among interest groups, Executive agencies, and Congressional committees.

Issue networks

Fluid alliances among various stakeholders on issues.

Political patronage

Appointment based on political support, not merit.

Civil service

Merit-based system for government employment.

Discretionary authority

Agencies' ability to interpret laws flexibly.

Rule-making authority

Power to create regulations within laws.

Regulations

Rules created by agencies to enforce laws.

Commander in Chief powers

The role of the president as supreme commander of the military forces of the United States and of the state National Guard units when they are called into federal service

Executive Agreements

Agreements with other countries that do not need senate approval

Bargaining and Persuasion

an informal tool used by the president to persuade members of Congress to support his or her policy initiatives