American Government Exam

Precincts

most basic unit of American political party organization (local voting districts)

Special Interest Groups

Organizations that seek to influence a politician on specific social issues

PAC

Organizations used to give donations to a candidate that a special interest group supports

Party Government

What is the highest level of a party?

Party Organization

What is the 2nd largest level of a party?

Party Voters

What is the 3rd largest level of a party?

Lobbyists

Representative of a group before a political party

Citizenship

Allegiance to a nation

Expatriation

Renouncing one’s citizenship

Alien

a person who lives in a nation but is not a citizen of that nation

Naturalization

The process of changing his citizenship from one nation to another

Jus soli

law of soil

Jus sanguinis

law of the blood

Conscription System

able bodied men are required to join a particular branch of the armed forces for a certain period of time

Primary Elections

also called a party election

Closed Primary

only members of a specific party can vote (example Presidential Primary)

Open Primary

anyone can vote but can only choose 1 party

Blanket Primary

allows voters to vote a split ticket (both parties)

Runoff Primary

used when a candidate does not win a majority

Absentee

used if a citizen will be away from his state on election day

Office Group

the candidates are organized based on the office they are running for

Party Group

the candidates are organized based on the party they belong to

Bureaucracy

Controls the area where laws or regulations affect a citizen

Party Election

what is a primary election also called?

Australian Ballot

What voting system does America use?

Voting Machine

What is voting in all states done by?

State Supreme Court

The highest state court

Jury

Group chosen to issue a verdict in a case (grand/trial)

Witness

may be called on to testify under oath

Counties

The largest unit of local government in America

County Board

elected governing body

Sheriff

elected leader of law enforcement

County Assessor

appraises taxable property within the country

District Attorney

prosecutes criminals in the county

Coroner

investigates cause of death when it happens under unknown or unusual circumstances

County Supervisor

the “president” of the county

County Manager Plan hires a community manager who has executive power over the country

Town

most important form of government in colonial America

Township

lead by a direct democracy; town meeting for with selectmen

Municipal Government

Government of town and cities

Unincorporated

a community that does not have a government of its own

City Charter

legal document granted by the state which outlines a form of government for the city

Mayor-council Form

popularly elected officials; oldest, most widely used form of city government

Commission Form

popularly elected commissioners head the government

Council-manager Form

council serves as legislative, policy-making branch and appoints a manager; mayor is weak

Planning Commission

city planning agency

Zoning

dividing the land in a town/city for different purposes

Suburbs

developed areas outside of city limits

Annexing

when a city acquires land that borders its own

Extraterritorial Powers

regulatory powers exercised outside of city limits

Metropolitan Area

major city and the populated area surrounding it

Sales Tax

The most important source of revenue for state governments

Selective Sales Tax

used for popular items (alcohol, gas, etc.)

Progressive Income Tax

paying more taxes the higher the income is; progressive

Corporate Tax

business “income tax”; uniform

Property Taxes

divided into real (land, buildings) or personal (possessions)

Tangible

physician objects

Intangible

investments, stocks, etc.

Assessment

local governments will employ assessors to determine the value of personal and real property

Business Tax

all states require businesses to pay taxes to operate (business license)

Severance Tax

tax for the removal of natural resources

Utility Fees

common household utilities (water, electricity, trash) that usually have a monthly fee

Gambling

casinos and lottery tickets have heavy fees put on winnings

Parishes

What are Counties also called?

County Seat

The town where the government is located

Direct Democracy

what is a township led by?

Incorporated

To become a municipality, the town/city must be

School districts

What is the most common special district?

General Sales Tax

What do most states use?

Local government

Property tax is the main source of revenue for _

Real property

land, buildings

Personal property

possessions

Assessors

determines the value of personal and real property

Education and Construction

What are most state’s highest budgeted items?

Direct Primary

voters choose the political party’s nominees

Broadly control almost all legislative powers within the states

Executive Powers

approving and appointing government officials

Judicial Powers

impeaching judges or other officers

Constituent Power

power to propose constitutional amendments

Speaker

leads the lower house

President of the Senate

usually the lieutenant governor

President Pro Tempore

presides in the president’s absence

Committees

(standing or joint) common within both houses

Justice of the Peace

An untrained legal officer who deals with minor legal problems (traffic violations, disturbances of the peace, etc.)

Magistrate Courts

like the justice of the peace, but a judge or a magistrate leads the court

Municipal Courts

can be divided into smaller courts based on the issue (small claims, traffic, domestic, etc.)

Small Claims

Lawsuits or cases involving relatively small sums of money between citizens

General Trial

State Equivalent of a “district” court

Popular vote

State legislature is usually elected by the _

Legislative Powers

What powers do State Legislators control within the states?

Voice votes and roll-call

What is most commonly used for the lawmaking process?

Initiative

Citizens of the state can be involved in lawmaking through what?

Referendum

the actual bill proposed by the citizen

Judges

who provides over cases in state courts?

Impeachment

the legislative body removes him from his position

Recall

the people vote to remove him

Ex Officio

by virtue of office or position