Ap Government Vocab Ch. 11, 14, 15

Front 1

Divided Government

Back 1

when one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress

Front 2

Unified Government

Back 2

when the same party controls the White House and both houses of Congress

Front 3

Gridlock

Back 3

the inability of the government to act because rival parties control

Front 4

Electoral College

Back 4

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.

Front 5

Pyramid Structure

Back 5

a president’s subordinates report to him through a clear chain of command headed by a chief of staff

Front 6

Circular Structure

Back 6

several of the president’s assistants report directly to him

Front 7

Ad Hoc Structure

Back 7

several subordinates, cabinet officers, and committees report directly to the president on different matters

Front 8

Cabinet

Back 8

consists of the heads of the fifteen executive branch departments of the federal government

Front 9

bully pulpit

Back 9

the president’s use of his prestige and visibility to guide or enthuse the American public

Front 10

Veto Message

Back 10

a message from the president to congress stating that he will not sign a bill it has passed. Must be produced within ten days of the bill’s passage

Front 11

Pocket Veto

Back 11

a bill fails to become a law because the president did not sign it within ten days before congress adjourns

Front 12

Line-Item Veto

Back 12

an executive’s ability to block a particular provision in a bill passed by the legislature

Front 13

Legislative Veto

Back 13

the authority of congress to block a presidential action after it has taken place. The supreme court has held that congress does not have this power

Front 14

Impeachment

Back 14

charges against a president approved by a majority of the House of Representatives

Front 15

Lame Duck

Back 15

a person still in office after he or she has lost a bid for reelection

Front 16

Bureaucracy

Back 16

a large, complex organization composed of appointed officials

Front 17

Laissez-Faire

Back 17

an economic theory that government should not regulate or interfere with commerce

Front 18

Discretionary Authority

Back 18

the extent to which appointed bureaucrats can choose courses of action and make policies that are not spelled out in advance by laws

Front 19

Competitive Service

Back 19

the government offices to which people are appointed on the basis of merit, as ascertained by a written exam or by applying certain selection criteria

Front 20

Name-Request Job

Back 20

a job that is filled by a person whom an agency has already identified

Front 21

Iron Triangle

Back 21

a close relationship between an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group

Front 22

Issue Network

Back 22

a network of people in Washington D.C.- based interest groups, or congressional staffs, in universities and think tanks, and in the mass media, who regularly discuss and advocate public policies

Front 23

Authorization Legislation

Back 23

legislative permission to begin or continue a government program or agency

Front 24

Appropriation

Back 24

legislative grant of money to finance a government program or agency

Front 25

Trust Funds

Back 25

funds for government programs that are collected and spent outside the regular government budget

Front 26

Committee Clearance

Back 26

the ability of a congressional committee to review and approve certain agency decisions in advance and without passing a law

Front 27

Legislative Veto

Back 27

the authority of congress to block a presidential action after it has taken place. The Supreme Court has held that Congress does not have this power

Front 28

Red Tape

Back 28

the complex bureaucratic rules and procedures that must be followed to get something done

Front 29

Incumbent

Back 29

the person already holding an elective office

Front 30

Coattails

Back 30

he 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, such as the president

Front 31

Political Action Committee (PAC)

Back 31

a committee set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations

Front 32

malapportionment

Back 32

drawing the boundaries of legislative districts so that they are unequal in population

Front 33

Gerrymandering

Back 33

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

Front 34

Sophomore Surge

Back 34

an increase in the votes congressional candidates usually get when they first run for reelection

Front 35

Positions Issue

Back 35

an issue about which the public is divided and rival candidates or political parties adopt different policy positions

Front 36

Valence Issue

Back 36

an issue about which the public is united and rival candidates or political parties adopt similar positions in hopes that each will be thought to best represent those widely shared beliefs

Front 37

General Election

Back 37

an election held to choose which candidate will hold office

Front 38

Primary Election

Back 38

an election to choose candidates for office

Front 39

Closed Primary

Back 39

a primary election in which voting is limited to already registered party members

Front 40

Open Primary

Back 40

a primary election in which voters may choose in which party to vote as they enter the polling place

Front 41

Blanket Primary

Back 41

a primary election in which each voter may vote for candidates from both parties

Front 42

Runoff Primary

Back 42

a second primary election held when no candidate wins a majority of the votes in the first primary

Front 43

Independent Expenditures

Back 43

spending by political action committees, corporations, or labor unions that is done to help a party or candidate but is done independently of them

Front 44

Soft Money

Back 44

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

Front 45

527 Organizations

Back 45

organizations that, under section 527 of the internal revenue code, raise and spend money to advance political causes

Front 46

Prospective Voting

Back 46

voting for a candidate because you favor his or her ideas for handling issues

Front 47

Retrospective Voting

Back 47

voting for a candidate because you like his or her past actions in office