AP Government Unit 2 Chapter 4 Vocabulary

Apportionment

The process of reallocating the 435 seats in the House of Representatives among the states based on the decennial census.

Redistricting

The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census to accommodate population shifts.

Gerrymandering

The drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent.

Partisan Gerrymandering

Drawing district lines specifically to give one political party an advantage over the other.

Majority-Minority Districts

A district in which the majority of the constituents are racial or ethnic minorities, often created to comply with the Voting Rights Act (see Shaw v. Reno).

Malapportionment

Drawing districts of unequal population sizes, which violates the 'one person, one vote' principle (see Baker v. Carr).

Constituency

The residents in the area from which an official is elected.

Speaker of the House

The only House officer mentioned in the Constitution; the most powerful member of the House, leader of the majority party, and third in line for the presidency.

House Majority Leader

The second-ranking figure in the majority party, responsible for scheduling bills and rounding up votes.

Minority Leader

The principal leader of the minority party in either the House or the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader

The true functional leader of the Senate, who manages the legislative calendar and speaks for the majority party.

Whip

A party leader who is the 'enforcer,' keeping track of vote counts and pressuring members to vote with the party.

Committee Chair

The head of a standing committee; they have great power over the committee's agenda and which bills are considered.

Incumbency

The state of already holding the office for which one is running.

Incumbency Advantage

The structural benefits (franking privilege, name recognition, fundraising) that help current officeholders win re-election.

Political Action Committee (PAC)

An organization that raises money privately to influence elections or legislation, especially at the federal level.

Pork Barrel Spending

Legislative funding for unnecessary local projects (often called 'earmarks') used to help a representative get re-elected.

Logrolling

An agreement by two or more lawmakers to support each other's bills ('I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine').

Oversight

The power of Congress to conduct hearings and investigations to ensure the executive branch/bureaucracy is spending money and following laws correctly.

Discharge Petition

A procedure in the House where a majority of members can force a bill out of a reluctant committee and onto the floor for a vote.

House Rules Committee

The 'traffic cop' of the House that determines the rules for debate, such as time limits and whether amendments are allowed.

Committee of the Whole

A procedure where the House operates as one large committee to speed up the consideration of legislation (requires only 100 members for a quorum).

Hold

A procedural practice in the Senate where a senator signals that they do not want a bill to reach the floor, effectively stalling it.

Unanimous Consent Agreement

An agreement in the Senate that sets the terms for the consideration of a bill; it is used to speed up business.

Filibuster

A tactic unique to the Senate where a senator uses their right to unlimited debate to delay or block a vote on a bill.

Cloture

The only procedure by which the Senate can vote to place a time limit on consideration of a bill or other matter, thereby overcoming a filibuster (requires 60 votes).

Veto

The constitutional power of the President to send a bill back to Congress with reasons for rejecting it.

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

The executive office that prepares the President's annual budget proposal.

Entitlement Program

A government program (like Social Security or Medicare) that guarantees certain benefits to a particular group or segment of the population.

Mandatory Spending

Spending on certain programs that is required by existing law (mostly entitlements); it makes up the largest part of the budget.

Discretionary Spending

Spending that Congress must authorize and appropriate each year (e.g., defense, education, national parks).

Budget Surplus

When the government takes in more revenue (taxes) than it spends in a single year.

Budget Deficit

When the government spends more money than it takes in in a single year.

National Debt

The total amount of money that a country's government has borrowed, by various means (the accumulation of all past deficits).

Delegate Role

The view that an elected representative should represent the opinions of their constituents regardless of their own personal views.

Trustee Role

The view that an elected representative should use their own best judgment to make decisions for the common good.

Politico Role

A role in which the representative acts as a trustee or as a delegate, depending on the issue.

Bipartisanship

Cooperation between the two major political parties on a particular bill or policy.

Gridlock

A situation where there is difficulty passing laws that satisfy the needs of the people because of partisan conflict.

Divided Government

A situation in which one party controls the presidency and another party controls one or both houses of Congress.

Lame Duck Period

The period between the election of a successor and the end of the current officeholder's term (often a time when the outgoing official has less power).