AP Government: Campaign Finance, Interest Groups, Congress, and Gerrymandering

A set of comprehensive vocabulary practice flashcards reviewing campaign finance rules, interest group lobbying tactics, the constitutional structure and qualifications of Congress, and redistricting gerrymandering methods.

Hard Money

Campaign contributions regulated and limited by the FEC that are given directly to a candidate by an individual or Political Action Committee (PAC), must be disclosed, and can tell people who to vote for.

Soft Money

Unlimited and unregulated campaign contributions from an individual, corporation, or PAC given to national parties and PACs, which cannot be directly linked to a candidate, cannot advocate for a candidate, and must be used for party building activities.

Direct Lobbying

The most common form of interest group influence, where lobbyists develop relationships with government officials to assess legislator support and help congressional allies draft bills.

Congressional Lobbying Strategy

The practice where lobbyists target lawmakers who are already ideologically aligned, undecided, or open to persuasion—especially those on key committees—rather than trying to flip legislators who are fundamentally opposed.

Committee Agenda Influence

A lobbying effect where efforts are often more effective at keeping unwanted bills off a congressional committee's agenda and stopping a vote from happening.

House of Representatives (HOR)

The congressional chamber whose members are directly elected by district voters and serve $2$-year terms to keep them close to the people and accountable to their constituents.

House Qualifications

The constitutional requirements specifying that a representative must be at least $25$ years old, a resident of their state, and a citizen of the US for at least $7$ years.

Congressional Compensation

The standard salary of $\text{\$}174,000$ for members of the House and Senate, with exceptions for the Speaker ($\text{\$}223,500$) and majority and minority leaders ($\text{\$}193,400$).

Contingent Presidential Election

The constitutional role of the House of Representatives to choose the president when the Electoral College fails to produce a winner, such as in the election of John Quincy Adams.

Gerrymandering

The practice of redrawing electoral districts to gain a partisan advantage and maximize the number of seats a political party will win.

Packing

A gerrymandering technique that concentrates opposition voters into districts they will already win, thereby diluting their influence in other districts.

Cracking

A gerrymandering technique that divides voters of a particular type among many districts to deny them a sufficiently large voting block in any single district.