Intro To Polisci Vocab: 7-9

Front 1

gerrymander

Back 1

redrawing voting district boundaries to maximize the strength of the party that does the drawing

Front 2

lesser of two evils

Back 2

a type of logic to get voters to the polls. Often, voters who are unhappy with either candidate will cast a ballot for one in order to prevent the other from getting into office.

Front 3

proportional represenation

Back 3

provides a party with legislative seats roughly in accordance with the percentage of votes it wins. Voters cast ballots for party rather than candidate, therefore overlooking issues about the personality of each candidate.

Front 4

reapportionment

Back 4

The constitution requires the reapportioning of US House of Representative seats according to the shift in population between various states every 10 years. Boundaries are redrawn to match the integrity of the population change.

Front 5

redistricting

Back 5

changing the boundaries of a constituency ostensible to comply with population shifts but really to effect a preferred political outcome.

Front 6

soft money

Back 6

funds to be used only for issue advertising and for garnering a candidate's rep as long as the ad does not urge the public to vote for or against anyone. McCain-Feingold Act of 2002 banned national parties and fed candidates from using soft money.

Front 7

Winner-Take-All

Back 7

aka Single Member District Plurality system: magnifies the strength of major parties and discriminates against third parties. Where the candidate with the most votes (even if less than the majority) wins 100% representation. Other parties receive 0 representation.

Front 8

caucus

Back 8

in both the house and senate, both parties have an organization or "conference" composed of their respective members. They elect the majority or minority leader and the party whips (sic?)

Front 9

earmarks

Back 9

appropriation of funds that are tucked away in larger spending bills and have limited legislative sponsorship. They are tacked on various bills at the last minute.

Front 10

fillibuster

Back 10

Debate designed to obstruct legislative action.

Front 11

front organizations

Back 11

corporate special interests create and finance organizations with public service names in order to hide true intentions. National Wetlands Coalition?

Front 12

Government Accountability Office

Back 12

(GAO) Federal watchdog created and directed by Congress to investigate everything from military waste to environmental abuse, operates at the request of legislators from either party and reports directly to Congress.

Front 13

Grassroots Lobbying

Back 13

Pressure group efforts that are directed not only at officeholders but also the public. Ex: Sierra Club, works to keep environment clean.

Front 14

junketing

Back 14

senators and reps who travel for fun at taxpayers' expense but under the guise of conducting committee investigations/fact finding trips.

Front 15

lobbyists

Back 15

persons hired by interest groups to influence legislative and administrative policies.

Front 16

logrolling

Back 16

a process where diverse corporate interests collude around common class interests, giving mutual support to each others' agendas.

Front 17

pork barrel

Back 17

Spending which is supposed to benefit political supporters in return for their votes/campaign contributions.

Front 18

direct elections

Back 18

elections where the citizens elect the president or gov't officials. This system counts every vote equally - one man, one vote. US Presidential election is NOT a direct election. Uses the Electoral College to put a candidate into highest office.

Front 19

electoral college

Back 19

a body of representatives (electors) who officially elects the POTUS. # of electors allotted to each state is equal to the total number of its seats in the HOR and the Senate.

Front 20

Executive Branch

Back 20

Largest of all the branches of gov't composed of a vast conglomeration of departments and agencies, its largest component being the Pentagon. Only the Executive Branch has the force of the law. The Legislative and Judicial Branches need the Executive to enforce a law or ruling.

Front 21

executive order

Back 21

degree or regulation that has the impact of a law without authorization from Congress (or the Constitution)

Front 22

signing statements

Back 22

memorandum that the President might issue after he signs a bill into law to object to the act or some provision of it for judges to consider in any future court challenge. Rather than vetoing a bill and then having Congress overturn the veto, a signing statement can nullify a law.