U.S. Congress: Powers, Structure, and Elections

Vocabulary flashcards covering the constitutional powers, organizational structure, membership rules, and electoral processes of the United States Congress.

Enumerated Powers

Specific congressional authorities explicitly granted in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, such as taxing and spending (power of the purse), declaring war, coining money, regulating commerce, and ratifying treaties.

Necessary and Proper Clause

The constitutional provision in Article 1, Section 8 granting Congress implied powers to enact all laws necessary and proper for carrying out its enumerated powers.

Article 1, Section 9 Limits

Constitutional restrictions that prevent Congress from bestowing titles of nobility, banning the slave trade prior to 1808, passing ex post facto laws, and favoring specific states when regulating commerce.

Congressional Session

A one-year working period of Congress. Each two-year Congress consists of two sessions.

Reapportionment

The redistribution of the 435 House of Representatives seats among the 50 states following the decennial census based on changes in population distribution.

Redistricting

The process, typically carried out by state legislatures, of redrawing geographic district boundaries based on population to decide which voters are represented by each legislative seat.

Congressional Delegates

Non-voting members in the House of Representatives who represent Washington D.C. and U.S. territories (American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands) and may participate in debates.

House of Representatives Qualifications

Constitutional eligibility criteria requiring a candidate to be at least 25 years old, a U.S. citizen for at least 7 years, and a resident of the state they represent.

Senate Qualifications

Constitutional eligibility criteria requiring a candidate to be at least 30 years old, a U.S. citizen for at least 9 years, and an inhabitant of the state they represent.

General Election

A constitutionally mandated national election held every two years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, administered by state and local governments.

Primary Election

A preliminary election conducted by a political party to choose which candidates will represent the party on the ballot in the subsequent general election.

Closed Primary

A nomination election format in which only registered members of a specific political party are permitted to vote on that party's slate of candidates.

Open Primary

A primary election format allowing voters to participate and cast a ballot in any party's primary regardless of their formal party registration or affiliation.

Semi-Closed Primary

A hybrid primary election format in which registered party members and unaffiliated or independent voters are permitted to vote in a party's primary.

Top-Two Primary

An election format in which all candidates regardless of party affiliation run on a single primary ballot, and the top two finishers advance to the November general election.

Runoff Election

A secondary follow-up election held when no single candidate secures a requisite majority of the votes in the initial contest.

Special Election

An election held outside the normal schedule to fill an open seat when a sitting legislator dies, resigns, or is removed from office.

Ranked-Choice Voting

An electoral system (used in Alaska) in which voters rank multiple candidates on the ballot in order of personal preference rather than voting for only one candidate.

Gerrymandering

The deliberate redrawing or manipulation of electoral district boundaries to give one political party an electoral advantage and maintain power.

Cracking

A gerrymandering strategy of splitting an opposing group of voters across several districts so their voting strength is diluted, preventing them from winning a majority in any single district.

Packing

A gerrymandering strategy that clusters an opposing group of voters into as few districts as possible, allowing them to win those seats by large margins while minimizing their influence in surrounding districts.

Seventeenth Amendment

A 1913 constitutional amendment that established the direct popular election of U.S. Senators by the citizens of each state, replacing selection by state legislatures.

Incumbent Advantage

The electoral benefits held by currently seated officeholders over challengers due to name recognition, previous constituent service, campaign funding, and media attention.

Coattail Effect

The electoral trend whereby congressional candidates of a winning presidential candidate's party benefit down-ballot and gain additional seats.

Midterm Effect

The historical phenomenon where the political party currently holding the presidency tends to lose congressional seats during midterm election cycles.