Ap Government Vocab

Front 1

Inherent powers

Back 1

powers that are naturally derived from the duties of a specific government position, such as Thomas Jefferson's power as president to purchase the Louisiana Territory

Front 2

Grassroots lobbying

Back 2

Ordinary citizens raising awareness for a cause and pushing the government to adopt a particular policy

Front 3

Caucus

Back 3

Face-to-face meetings of party members at the local or state level to determine their party's candidate for office

Front 4

Block grants

Back 4

Federal money given to the states with few restrictions about how it should be spent

Front 5

Mandatory spending

Back 5

Expenditures that the federal government is obligated to make, like entitlements and interest on the national debt

Front 6

Oversight

Back 6

Congressional committee hearings held to determine how well an agency is doing its job

Front 7

Dealignment

Back 7

When voters no longer identify with one of the two major parties and become independent voters

Front 8

Fiscal Policy

Back 8

Impacting the economy through taxing and spending in the budget

Front 9

General election

Back 9

An election to select the person who will hold office

Front 10

Closed primary

Back 10

A vote by party members to determine their party's candidate for office, which is restricted to those who are registered to the party

Front 11

Motion for cloture

Back 11

A vote by 60 senators to end a filibuster

Front 12

Super PAC

Back 12

An organization, which need not disclose its members, that can spend a vast and unlimited amount of money on a political campaign

Front 13

Federalism

Back 13

A system of government where power is shared between the national government and the states in which the states have some protected powers

Front 14

Political socialization

Back 14

The process by which an individual develops his or her political beliefs

Front 15

Expressed powers

Back 15

Powers that are are given to an institution of government directly in the Constitution, such as Congress's power to tax

Front 16

Lame duck period

Back 16

The time during which which a president who has lost an election or has ended a second term is still in office before the new president serves

Front 17

Midterm election

Back 17

An election in which voters select members of Congress but not the president

Front 18

Franking privilege

Back 18

The free mail and electronic signature system used by members of Congress

Front 19

Lobbying

Back 19

Efforts by an interest group or individual to contact a member of Congress and advocate for a particular policy

Front 20

Party polarization

Back 20

When political parties move farther away from each other ideologically and also move away from the center

Front 21

Amicus curiae

Back 21

An argument filed with a court by an individual or group who is not a party to a lawsuit

Front 22

Judicial activism

Back 22

A philosophy that the Supreme Court should make bold new policy

Front 23

House race journalism

Back 23

The tendency of the media to focus on which candidate is ahead in the polls rather than focusing on the issues

Front 24

Casework

Back 24

When congressional staff help a constituent solve a problem

Front 25

Issue network (iron triangle)

Back 25

A relationship between interest groups, agencies, and congressional committees in a certain policy area

Front 26

Political party

Back 26

A group of individuals who organize to run candidates for office

Front 27

Gerrymandering

Back 27

Drawing congressional district boundaries to benefit a group, usually a political party

Front 28

White House staff

Back 28

The president's personal assistants and advisors

Front 29

filibuster

Back 29

A procedure in the Senate to talk a bill to death

Front 30

Executive order

Back 30

A presidential directive

Front 31

Critical elections

Back 31

An election where new coalitions of voters have formed, beginning a new party era

Front 32

Pork barrel spending

Back 32

A provision in a bill that benefits a specific congressional constituency

Front 33

Entitlements

Back 33

Promises made by the government to an identifiable group of people who are guaranteed benefits

Front 34

Original intent

Back 34

Making judicial decisions by considering what the founding fathers meant in the Constitution

Front 35

Logrolling

Back 35

When members of Congress trade votes for favors in order to get the bills they support passed

Front 36

Monetary policy

Back 36

Influencing the economy though federal interest rates, reserve rates, and the amount of money in circulation

Front 37

Selective incorporations

Back 37

The process by which the Bill of Rights has been applied to the states on a case-by-case basis through the Fourteenth Amendment

Front 38

suffrage

Back 38

Right to vote

Front 39

Fiscal federalism

Back 39

The use of spending by the national government through the grant process to influence state policies

Front 40

Writ of certiorari

Back 40

A document issued by the Supreme Court if it has agreed to hear a case

Front 41

Litigation

Back 41

A lawsuit

Front 42

Uncontrollable spending

Back 42

Expenditures that the federal government cannot realistically reduce because they are required by law

Front 43

Political efficacy

Back 43

An individual's belief that his or her political participation can make a difference

Front 44

Gender gap

Back 44

The tendency of men to support candidates from the Republican party at greater rates than women

Front 45

Single-member districts

Back 45

The electoral system used to select members of the House of Representative

Front 46

Pocket veto

Back 46

When a president does not sign a bill within 10 days when Congress is not in session

Front 47

Redistricting

Back 47

Changing congressional district boundaries based on a new census

Front 48

Independent expenditures

Back 48

Money spent on ads that are not sponsored by a candidate or party

Front 49

Policy agenda

Back 49

Problems that have the attention of the government and the public

Front 50

Cooperative federalism

Back 50

A system where the federal government and the states work together in funding and administering programs

Front 51

Stare decisis

Back 51

When a court follows precedent by letting a previous decision stand

Front 52

devolution

Back 52

A process by which the national government gives more power and authority to the states

Front 53

Demographics

Back 53

The statistical characteristics of a popualtion

Front 54

Political culture

Back 54

The shared political values of a society

Front 55

Divided government

Back 55

When the president is from one political party and one or both houses of Congress are controlled by the opposing political party

Front 56

Open primary

Back 56

An election to determine a party's candidate for office in which that party's members and unaffiliated voters may vote

Front 57

PAC

Back 57

An organization that is registered with the Federal Election Committee and donates money to a candidate or campaign

Front 58

Judicial review

Back 58

The power of the Supreme Court to overturn a law or executive action as unconstitutional

Front 59

Categorical grants

Back 59

Money given by the federal government to the states to be used for a narrowly defined purpose

Front 60

Interest groups

Back 60

An organization that advocates for policies through lobbying, electioneering, grassroots mobilization and protesting

Front 61

pluralism

Back 61

A theory of government in which many groups compete for policy

Front 62

Unfunded mandate

Back 62

A federal requirement that forces the states to spend their own money

Front 63

Implied Powers

Back 63

Powers that are necessary to carry out an expressed power in the Constitution, like the power of Congress to establish a bank

Front 64

incumbent

Back 64

An officeholder who is running for reelection

Front 65

Realignment

Back 65

The process through which voters leave on of the majority party coalition and join the other major party's coalition