Vocab all chapters AP GOV

·       Issue – conflict real or apparent between the interests, ideas, or beliefs of different citizens

·       Politics – the activity by which an issue is agitated or settled

·       Power – the ability of one person to get another to act in accordance with the 1^st’s intentions

·       Authority – the right to use power

·       Legitimacy – political authority conferred by law or by a state or national constitution

·       Democracy – the rule of many

·       Direct/participatory democracy – a government in which all or most citizens participate directly

·       Representative democracy – a government on which leaders make decisions by winning a competitive struggle for the popular vote

·       Elite – persons who possess a disproportionate share of some valued resource such as money, prestige, or expertise

·       Class view- view that the government is dominated by capitalists

·       Power elite view – view that the government is dominated by a few top leaders, most of whom are outside government

·       Bureaucratic view – view that the government is dominated by appointed officials

·       Pluralist view – view that competition among all affected interests shapes public policy

·       Creedal passion view – view that morally impassioned elites drive important political changes

·       Political agenda – issues that people believe require governmental action

·       Cost – a burden that people believe they must bear if a policy is adopted

·       Benefit – A satisfaction that people believe they will enjoy if a policy is adopted

·       Majoritarian politics – a policy in which almost everybody benefits and almost everybody pays

·       Interest group politics – a policy in which one small group benefits and another small group pays

·       Client politics – a policy in which one small group benefits and almost everybody pays

·       Pork barrel legislation – legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or states in the hope of winning their votes in return

·       Log rolling – a legislator supports a proposal favored by another in return for support of his or hers

·       Entrepreneurial politics – a policy in which almost everybody benefits and a small group pays

·       Policy entrepreneurs – activists in or out of government who pull together a political majority on behalf of unorganized interests

·       Unalienable – A human right based on the nature of god

·       Articles of Confederation – A weak constitution that governed America during the Revolutionary War  

·       Constitutional Convention – A meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 that produced a new constitution

·       Shay’s Rebellion – A 1787 rebellion in which ex-revolutionary war soldiers attempted to prevent foreclosures of farms as a result of high interest rates and taxes

·       Virginia Plan – proposal to create a strong national government

·       New Jersey Plan – Proposal to create a weak national government

·       Great Compromise – Plan to have a popularly elected House based on state population and state selected senate with two members for each state

·       Republic – a government in which elected representatives make the decisions

·       Judicial Review – the power of the courts to declare laws unconstitutional

·       Federalism – Government authority shared by national and local governments

·       Enumerated powers – powers given to the national government alone

·       Reserved powers – powers given to the state government alone

·       Concurrent powers – powers shared by the national and state governments

·       Separation of powers – sharing of constitutional authority by multiple branches of government

·       Checks and balances – constitutional ability of multiple branches of government to limit each other’s power

·       Faction – a group with distinct political interests

·       Federalism – government authority shared by local and national governments

·       Sovereignty – the ultimate political author in system

·       Unitary system – a system of government where sovereignty is fully vested in the national government, not the states

·       Confederation/confederal system – a system of government where stat governments are sovereign, and the national government can do only what the states permit

·       Federal system – a system of government where the national and state governments share sovereignty

·       Necessary and proper clause – section of the constitution allowing congress to pass all laws “necessary and proper “ to its duties, and that has permitted congress to exercise powers not specifically given to it (enumerated)  by the constitution

·       Nullification – the doctrine that a state can declare null and void a federal law that, in the state’s violates the constitution

·       Dual federalism- doctrine holding that the national government is supreme in its sphere, the states are supreme in theirs, and the two spheres should be kept separate

·       Cooperative federalism – idea that the federal and state governments share power in many policy areas.

·       Laboratories of democracy – idea that different states can implement different policies, and the successful ones will spread

·       Initiative – process that permits voters to put legislative measures directly on the ballot

·       Referendum – procedure enabling voters to reject a measure passed by legislature

·       Recall – procedure whereby voters can remove an elected official from office

·       Grants in aid – money given by the national government to the states

·       Categorical grants – federal grants for specific purposes, such as building an airport

·       Conditions of aid – terms set by the national government that states must meet if they are to receive certain funds

·       Mandates – terms set by the national government that states must meet whether or not they accept federal grants

·       Waiver – a decision by an administrative agency granting some other party permission to violate a law or rule that would otherwise apply to it

·       Devolution – transfer of power from the national government to state and government

·       Civil liberties – rights to be free of government interference

·       Due process of law – denies the government the right, without due process, to deprive the people of life, liberty, and property

·       Equal protection of the laws – a standard of equal treatment that must be observed by government

·       Freedom of Expression – right of people to speak, publish, and assemble

·       Freedom of Religion – people shall be free to recognize their religion, and government may not establish a religion

·       Prior restraint – censorship of a publication

·       Selective incorporation process – the process whereby the court has applied most, but not all, parts of the Bill of Rights to the states

·       Clear-and-present-danger test – Law should not punish speech unless there was a clear and present danger of producing harmful actions

·       Libel – writing that falsely injures another person

·       Symbolic speech – an act that conveys a political message

·       Free-exercise clause – First Amendment requirement that law cannot free exercise of religion

·       Establishment clause – First Amendment ban on laws “respecting an establishment of religion”

·       Wall of separation – Court ruling that government cannot be involved with religion

·       Exclusionary rule – improperly gathered evidence may not be introduced in a criminal trial

·       Search warrant – a judge’s order authorizing a search

·       Probable cause – reasonable for issuing a search warrant or making an arrest; more than mere suspicion

·       Good faith exception – an error in gathering evidence sufficiently minor that it may be used in a trial

·       Public safety exception – the police can question a non-mirandized suspect if there is an urgent concern for public safety

·       Inevitable discovery – the police can use evidence if it would have been discovered

·       Civil forfeiture – A procedure in which law enforcement officers take assets from people who are suspected of illegal activity, but have been charged with a crime

·       Civil Rights – The rights of people to be treated without unreasonable or unconstitutional differences

·       Separate-but-equal doctrine – the doctrine established in Plessy v. Fergusen that African Americans could constitutionally be kept in separate but equal facilities

·       De jure segregation – racial segregation that is required by law

·       De facto segregation – racial segregation that occurs in schools, not as a result of the law, but as a result of patterns of residential settlement

·       Suspect classification – classifications of people based on their race or ethnicity; laws so classifying people are subject to strict scrutiny

·       Strict scrutiny – the standard by which “suspect classifications are judged. To be upheld, such a classification must be related to a “compelling government interest,” be “narrowly tailored” to achieve that interest, and use the “least restrictive means” available

·       Civil disobedience – opposing a law one considers unjust by peacefully disobeying and accepting the resultant punishment

·       Police powers – state power to effect laws promoting health, safety, and morals.

·       Equality of results – making certain that people achieve the same result

·       Equality of opportunity – giving people an equal chance to succeed

·       Affirmative action – Laws or administrative regulations that require a business firm, government agency, labor union, school, college, or other organization to take positive steps to increase the number of African Americans, other minorities, or women in its membership

·       Reverse discrimination – using race/sex to give preferential treatment to people

·       Political party – a group that seeks to elect candidates to public office

·       Progressives – republican party faction of the early 20^th century comprising reformers who opposed patronage

·       Critical/realignment periods – a period when a major, lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition supporting one or both parties

·       Primary elections – an election held to determine the nominee from a particular party

·       Closed primary – a primary election where only registered party members may vote for the party’s nominee

·       Open primary – a primary election where all voters regardless of party membership may vote for the party’s nominee

·       Super delegates – party leaders and elected officials who become delegates to the national convention without having to run in primaries or caucuses

·       Invisible primary – process by which candidates try to attract the support of key party leaders before an election begins

·       National convention – a meeting of party delegates held every four years, which nominates the party’s candidate for president

·       National committee – delegates who run party affairs between national conventions

·       Congressional campaign committee – a party committee in congress that provides funds to members and would be members

·       National chair – day-to-day party manager elected by the national committee

·       Political machines – a party organization that recruits members by dispensing patronage

·       Partisan identification – a voter’s long-term, stable attachment to one of the political parties

·       Partisanship – another name for a partisan identity

·       Two-party system – an electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in national elections

·       Plurality system – an electoral system in which the winer the person who gets the most votes, even if he/she does not receive a majority; used in almost all American elections

·       Political participation – the many different ways that people take part in politics and government

·       Voting age population – citizens who are eligible to vote after reaching the minimum age requirement

·       Voting eligible population – citizens who have reached the minimum age to vote, excluding those who are not legally permitted to cast a ballot.

·       Literacy test – a requirement that citizens show that they can read before registering to vote

·       Poll tax – a requirement that citizens pay a tax in order to register to vote

·       Grandfather clause – a clause in registration laws allowing people who do not meet registration requirements to vote if they or their ancestors had voted before 1867

·       White primary – the practice of keeping blacks from voting in the southern states’ primaries through arbitrary use of registration requirements and intimidation

·       Australian Ballot – a government printed ballot of uniform dimensions to be cast in secret that many states adopted around 1890 to reduce voting fraud associated with party printed ballots cast in public.

·       Voter identification laws – laws requiring citizens to show a government-issued photo ID in order to vote

·       Activists – people who tend to participate in all forms of politics

·       Caucus – a meeting of party followers in which party delegates are selected

·       Momentum – when a candidate wins, he/she tends to do better in future contests (also called bandwagon effect)

·       Battleground states – the most competitive states in the presidential election (swing states)

·       Retrospective voting – voting for a candidate because of their past actions

·       Prospective voting – voting for a candidate because you favor their ideas on future issues

·       Valence issue – an issue on which everyone agrees, but it is unsure whether the candidate has the same view

·       Positional issues – issue in which rival candidates have opposing views that also divide voter

·       Incumbent – the person already holding an elective office

·       Incumbency advantage – the tendency of incumbents to do better than otherwise similar challengers, especially in congressional elections

·       Gerrymandering – drawing the boundaries of legislative districts in bizarre or unusual shapes to favor one party

·       Surge and decline – tendency for the president’s party to do better in presidential years when he is at the top of the ticket, but to do worse when he is not because many voters are less enthusiastic

·       Coattails – the alleged tendency of candidates to win more votes in an election because of the presence at the top of the ticket of a better-known candidate

·       Political action committees (PACs) – committees set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raise and spend campaign money from voluntary donations

·       Independent expenditures – spending by political action committees, corporations, or labor unions to help a party or candidate but done independent from the party/candidate

·       Soft money – funds obtained by political parties that are spent on party actives, such as get-out-the-vote drives, but not on behalf of a specific candidate

·       527 organizations – organizations under section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code that raise and spend money to advance political causes

·       Super PAC – a group that raises and spends unlimited amounts of money from corporations, unions, and individuals but cannot coordinate its activities with campaigns in any way

·       501(c)4 group – a social welfare organization that can devote no more than 50% of its funds to politics. Sometimes referred to as “dark money” groups because they do not have to disclose their donors

·       Interest group – An organization of people sharing a common goal that seeks to influence public policy

·       Lobbyist – A person who tries to influence legislation on behalf of an interest group

·       Free rider problem – the tendency of individuals to avoid contributing to public good

·       Public good – something of value that all individuals share, whether or not they contribute to it

·       Incentive – something of value one cannot get unless they join an organization

·       Solidary incentives – the special rewards that lead people to join political organizations

·       Material incentives – money or things valued in monetary terms

·       Purposive incentives – benefits that come from serving a cause or principle

·       Ideological interest groups – political organizations that attract members by appealing to their political convictions or principles

·       Public interest lobby – a political organization whose goals will principally benefit nonmembers

·       Social movement – a widely shared demand for change in some aspect of the social or political order

·       Political cue – a signal telling a legislator what values are at stake in a vote, and how the issue fits into his or her own political view on party agenda

·       Ratings – assessments of a representative’s voting record on issues important to an interest group

·       Earmark – a provision in a law that provides a direct benefit to a client without the benefit having been reviewed on the merits by all of congress

·       Grassroots lobbying – using the general public (rather than lobbyists) to contact government officials about a public policy

·       Sound bite – a radio or video clip of someone speaking

·       Blog – a series or log of discussion items on a page of the World Wide Web

·       Fake news – manufactured stories typically designed to support a particular point of view or candidate

·       Trial balloon – information leaked to media to test public reaction to a possible policy

·       Selective exposure – consuming only those news stories with which one already agrees

·       Agenda setting (gatekeeping) – the ability of the news media, by printing stories aout some topics and not others, to shape the public agenda

·       Priming – the ability of the news media to influence the factors individuals use to evaluate political elites

·       Framing – the way in which the news media, by focusing on some aspects of an issue, shapes how people view that issue

·       Watchdog – the press’s role as an overseer of government officials to ensure they act in the public interest

·       Game frame – the tendency of media to focus on political polls and strategy rather than the issues

·       Horse race (scorekeeper) journalism – news coverage that focuses on who is ahead rather than issues

·       Equal time rule – an FCC rule that if a broadcaster sells time to one candidate it must sell equal time to other candidates

·       Adversarial press – the tendency of the national media to be suspicious of officials and eager to reveal unflattering stories about them

·       Bicameral legislature – a lawmaking body made up of two chambers or parts

·       Filibuster – an attempt to defeat a bill in the senate y talking indefinitely, thus preventing the senate from taking action on the bill

·       Majority/minority districts – congressional district where a majority of voters are racial/ethnic minorities

·       Descriptive representation – when citizens are represented by elected officials from their same ethnic background

·       Substantive representation – ability of citizens to elect officials who will enact into law policies that citizens favor

·       Marginal districts – districts in which candidates elected to the House of Representatives win in close elections

·       Safe districts – districts in which incumbents win by a comfortable margin

·       Conservative coalition – an alliance between republicans and conservative democrats

·       Majority leader – the legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the house or the senate

·       Minority leader – the legislative leader elected by party members holding a minority of seats in the house or senate

·       Whip – a senator or representative who helps the party leader stay informed about what party leaders are thinking

·       Speaker – the presiding officer of the House of Reps and the leader of his/her party in the House

·       Party vote – a vote where most democrats are on one side of the bill while republicans are on the other

·       Caucus – an association of congressional members created to advance a political ideology or a regional, ethnic, or economic interest

·       Standing committees – permanently established legislative committees that consider and are responsible for legislation within a certain subject area

·       Select committees – congressional committees appointed for a limited time and purpose

·       Joint committees – committees on which both senators and representatives serve

·       Conference committee – joint committees appointed to resolve differences in the senate and house versions of the same bill

·       Simple resolution – an expression of opinion either in the house or senate to settle procedural matters in either party

·       Concurrent resolution – an expression of opinion without the force of law that requires the approval of both the house and senate, but not the president

·       Joint resolution – a formal expression of congressional opinion that must be approved by both houses of congress and by the president; constitutional amendments need not be signed by the president

·       Discharge petition – a device by which any member of the house, after a committee has had the bill for 30 days, may petition to have it brought to the floor

·       Restrictive rule – an order from the House Rules Committee that permits certain kinds of amendments but not others to be made to a bill on this floor

·       Closed rule – an order from the House Rules Committee that sets a time limit on debate; forbids a bill from being amended on the floor

·       Open rule – an order from the House Rules Committee that permits a bill be amended on the floor

·       Quorum – the minimum number of members who must be present for business to be conducted in congress

·       Riders – amendments on matters unrelated to a bill that are added to an important bill so that they will ride to passage through congress.

o   Christmas tree bill – when a bill has too many riders

·       Cloture rule – a rule used by the Senate to end or limit debate

·       Double tracking – a process to keep the senate going during  a filibuster in which the disputed bill is shelved temporarily so that the senate can continue other business

·       Voice vote – a congressional voting procedure in which members shout in approval/disapproval which allows the vote to happen quickly

·       Division vote – a congressional voting procedure in which members stand and are counted

·       Roll call vote – a congressional voting procedure that consists of members answering to their names

·       Teller vote – a congressional voting procedure in which members pass their votes between the tellers

·       Veto – power of president to disapprove a bill, can be overridden by congress

·       Divided government – one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of congress

·       Unified government – the same party controls the white house and both houses of congress

·       Pork barrel legislation – legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in the hope of winning their vote

·       Franking privilege – the ability of members to mail letters to their constituents freely by submitting their facsimile signature for postage

·       Divided government – one political party controls the White House and another political party controls one or both chambers of Congress

·       Unified government – The same political party controls the White House and both chambers of Congress

·       Gridlock – The inability of the government to act because rival parties control different parts of government

·       Electoral College – The people chosen to cast each state’s votes in a presidential election. Each state can cast one electoral vote for each senator and representative it has. D.C. has 3 electoral votes though it cannot elect a representative or senator

·       Bully pulpit – the president use of prestige and visibility to guide or mobilize the American public

·       Veto message – a message from the president to congress stating that a bill passed in both chambers will not be signed. Must be produced within ten days of the bills passage

·       Pocket veto – a bill that fails to become law because the president did not sign it within ten days before congress adjourns

·       Line item veto – an executive’s ability to block a particular provision in a bill passed by the legislature

·       Executive order – a presidential directive that calls for action within the executive branch

·       Signing statement – a presidential document that reveals what the president thinks of a new law and how it ought to be enforced

·       Pyramid structure – a presidents subordinates report to him by a clear chain of command

·       Circular structure – several of the president’s assistants report directly to him

·       Ad hoc structure – several subordinates, cabinet officers, and committees report directly to the president on different matters

·       Cabinet – The heads of the 15 executive branch departments of the federal government

·       Impeachment – charges against a president approved by a majority of the House of Representatives

·       Bureaucracy- a large, complex organization composed of appointed officials

·       Government by proxy – Washington pays state and local governments and private groups to staff and administer federal programs

·       Laissez-faire – An economic theory that government should not regulate or interfere with commerce

·       Discretionary authority – the extent to which appointed bureaucrats can choose courses of action and make policies not spelled out in advance by laws

·       Competitive service – The government offices to which people are appointed on the basis of merit, as ascertained by a written exam of by applying certain selection criteria

·       Name-request job – a job filled by a person whom an agency has already identified

·       Iron triangle – a close relationship between an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group

·       Issue network – a network of people in Washington DC based interest groups, on congressional staffs, in universities, think tanks, and in media who regularly discuss and advocate public policies

·       Authorization legislation – legislative permission to begin/continue a government program or agency

·       Appropriation – a legislative grant of money to finance a government program or agency

·       Trust funds – funds for government programs collected and spent outside the regular government budget

·       Committee clearance – the ability of a congressional committee to review and approve certain agency decisions and without passing a law

·       Legislative veto – The authority of congress to block a presidential action after it has taken place (The supreme court holds that congress does not have this power)

·       Red tape – complex bureaucratic rules and procedures that must be followed to get something done

·       Judicial review – the power of courts to declare laws unconstitutional

·       Judicial restraint approach – the view that judges should decide cases strictly on the basis of the language of the laws of the constitution

·       Activist approach – the view that judges should discern the general principles underlying laws or the constitution and apply them to modern circumstances

·       Constitutional Court – a federal court authorized by article III of the Constitution, keeps judges in court for life, prevents salaries from being reduced, supreme court and courts created by congress

·       District court – the lowest federal courts, only federal trials can be held here

·       Court of appeals – federal courts that hear appeals from district courts, no trials

·       Legislative courts – courts created by congress for specialized purposes, whose judges do not have the protections of Article III

·       Litmus test – an examination of the political ideology of a nominated judge

·       Federal question cases – cases concerning the constitution, federal laws, or treaties

·       Diversity cases – cases involving citizens of different states who can bring suit in federal courts

·       Writ of certiori – an order by a higher court directing a lower court to send up a case for review

·       In forma pauperis – a method whereby a poor person can have their case heard in federal court without charge

·       Fee shifting – a rule that allows a plaintiff to recover costs from the defendant if the plaintiff wins

·       Plaintiff – the party that initiates a lawsuit

·       Standing – a legal rule stating who is authorized to start a lawsuit

·       Sovereign immunity – the rule that a citizen cannot sue the government without the government’s consent

·       Class action suit – a case brought by someone to help both him/herself and all others who are similarly situated

·       Brief – a written statement by an attorney that summarizes a case and the laws/rulings that support it

·       Amicus curiae – a brief submitted by a “friend of the court”

·       Per curiam opinion – a brief, unsigned court opinion

·       Opinion of the court – a signed opinion of a majority of the supreme court

·       Concurring opinion – a signed opinion in which one or more members agree with the majority view but for different reasons

·       Dissenting opinion – a signed opinion in which one or more justices disagree with the majority view

·       Stare decisis – “let the decision stand”; allowing prior rulings control a current case

·       Political question – an issue the supreme court will allow the executive and legislative branches to decide

·       Remedy – a judicial order enforcing a right or redressing a wrong

·       Insurance program – a self-financing government program based on contributions which provide benefits to unemployed/retired persons

·       Assistance program – a government program financed by general income taxes that provides benefits to poor citizens without requiring contributions from them

·       Means test – an income qualification program that determines whether one is eligible for benefits under government programs reserved for lower income groups

·       Charitable choice – name given to four federal laws passed in 1990s specifying the conditions under which nonprofit religious organizations could compete to administer certain social service delivery and welfare programs 2

·       Environmental Impact Statement – a report required by federal law that assesses possible effect of a project on the environment if the project is subsidized by federal funds

·       Deficit – the result of the government in one year spending more money than it takes in from taxes

·       National debt – the total deficit from the first presidency to the present

·       Gross domestic product – the total of all goods and services produced in an economy during a given year

·       Monetarist – one who believes that inflation occurs when too much money is chasing too few goods

·       Keynesianism – the belief the government must manage the economy by spending more money when in a recession and cutting spending when inflation occurs

·       Economic planning – the belief that government plans, such as wage and price controls or the direction of investment, can improve the economy

·       Supply side theory – the belief that lower taxes and fewer regulations will stimulate the economy

·       Monetary policy – managing the economy by altering the supply of money and interest rates

·       Fiscal policy – managing the economy through the use of tax and spending laws

·       Globalization – the growing integration of the economies and societies of the world

·       Income inequality – the extent to which income is unevenly distributed throughout society

·       Budget – a document that states tax collections, spending levels, and the allocation spending among purposes

·       Fiscal year – October 1 through September 30  

·       Budget resolution – a congressional decision that states the maximum amount of money the government should spend

·       Mandatory – money that the government is required to spend by law

·       Entitlements – a claim for government fund that cannot be changed without violating the rights of the claimant

·       Discretionary spending – spending that is not required to pay for contracts, interest on the national debt, or entitlement programs such as social security

·       Debt ceiling – a limit on how much money the federal government can borrow (by limiting the amount of debt it can issue)

·       Sequester – automatic spending cuts

·       Worldviews – comprehensive opinions of how the united states should respond to world problems

·       Isolationism – the belief that the United States should withdraw from world affairs

·       Containment – the belief that the United States should resist the expansion of aggressive nations, especially the former soviet union

·       Disengagement – the belief that the united states was harmed by its war in Vietnam and so should avoid similar events

·       Human rights – the belief that we should try to improve the lives of people in other countries

·       Polarization – a deep and wide conflict over some government policy

·       Military industrial complex – an alleged alliance between military leaders and corporate leaders

·       Bipolar world – a political landscape with two superpowers

·       Unipolar world – a political landscape with one superpower

·       Cost overruns – when the money actually paid to the suppliers exceeds the estimated costs

·       Gold plating – the tendency of pentagon officials to ask weapons contractors to meet excessively high requirements