AP Gov Vocab 3

Part 1: What is the Structure of Congress?

1 Speaker of the House – The leader of the House of Representatives, chosen by the majority party.

2 Filibuster – A tactic in the Senate where a senator talks for a long time to delay a vote.

3 Quorum – The minimum number of members needed for Congress to do official work.

Part 2: How Does Congress Represent Voters?

4 Standing committee – A permanent group in Congress that handles specific policy issues.

5 Select committee – A temporary group in Congress created for a specific task or investigation.

6 Casework – When Congress members help people with government-related problems.

7 Conference committee – A group that resolves differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill.

8 Delegate model – When elected officials vote based on what their voters want.

9 Trustee model – When elected officials vote based on what they personally think is best.

Part 3: Why are There Only Two Main Parties?

10 Proportional representation – A voting system where parties get seats based on their share of the vote.

11 Plurality (Winner Take All) system – A voting system where the candidate with the most votes wins.

12 Duverger’s Law – The idea that winner-take-all elections lead to two major parties.

Part 4: How are America’s Political Parties Different?

13 Realignment – A big change in party support and priorities over time.

Part 5: Why Does Congress Have a Hard Time Working Together?

14 Open primary – A primary election where any voter can participate, regardless of party.

15 Closed primary – A primary election where only registered party members can vote.

16 Incumbent – The current person holding an elected position.

17 Safe seat – A position in government that one party is almost certain to win.

18 Rational-choice voting – Voting for the candidate who best serves your personal interests.

19 Retrospective voting – Voting based on a candidate’s past actions.

20 Prospective voting – Voting based on a candidate’s future promises.

21 Party-line voting – Voting only for candidates from your political party.

Part 6: How Does Our Electoral System Affect Polarization?

22 Reapportionment – Changing the number of congressional seats each state gets based on the census.

23 Redistricting – Redrawing district lines to adjust for population changes.

24 Gerrymandering – Drawing district lines to favor one party.

25 Split-Ticket voting – Voting for different parties for different offices on the same ballot.

Part 7: How Do Interest Groups Impact Politics?

26 Lobbyist – A person who tries to influence government decisions on behalf of a group.

27 Soft money – Political donations with fewer rules, usually given to parties for general use.

28 Hard money – Political donations that have strict limits and must be reported.

29 Political action committee (PAC) – A group that raises and donates money to support political candidates.

30 Super PACs – Groups that can raise unlimited money but cannot work directly with candidates.