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pols 207 > exam 2 vocab > Flashcards

exam 2 vocab Flashcards

1
Q

cause lobbyist:

A

a person who works for an organization that tracks and promotes an issue

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2
Q

contract lobbyist:

A

lobbyists who work for different causes for different clients

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3
Q

closed primary:

A

a nominating election in which only voters belonging to that party may participate

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4
Q

crossover voting:

A

voting by a member of one party in another party’s primary
this process is not allowed in all states

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5
Q

open primary:

A

a nominating election that is open to all registered voters regardless of their party affiliations

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6
Q

runoff primary:

A

an election held if no candidate receives a majority of the vote during the regular primary
the top two finishers face off again in a runoff to determine the nominee for the general election

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7
Q

general elections:

A

decisive elections in which all registered voters cast ballots for their preferred candidates for a political office

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8
Q

party conventions:

A

meetings of party delegates called to nominate candidates for office and establish party agendas

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9
Q

factional splits or factions:

A

groups that struggle to control the message within a party; for example, a party may be split into competing regional factions

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10
Q

nonpartisan ballots:

A

ballots that do not list candidates by political party; still often used in local elections

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11
Q

Super PACs:

A

political action committees that can spend unlimited funds on behalf of political candidates but cannot directly coordinate their plans with those candidates

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12
Q

committee:

A

a group of legislators who have the formal task of considering and writing bills in a particular issue area

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13
Q

override:

A

the process by which legislative chambers vote to challenge a gubernatorial veto; often requires a supermajority of two-thirds

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14
Q

coalition building:

A

the assembly of an alliance of groups to pursue a common goal or interest

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15
Q

logrolling:

A

a practice in which a legislator gives a colleague a vote on a particular bill in return for that colleague’s vote on another bill

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16
Q

districts:

A

the geographical areas represented by members of a legislature

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17
Q

filibuster:

A

a debate that under U.S. Senate rules can drag on, blocking final action on the bill under consideration and preventing other bills from being debated

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18
Q

riders:

A

amendments to a bill that are not central to the bill’s intent

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19
Q

constituent service:

A

they offer personalized constituent service to help residents sort out their problems with the state government
the work done by legislatures to help residents in their voting districts

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20
Q

oversight:

A

they oversee the activities of the governor and the executive branch and some private businesses through public hearings, budget reviews, and formal investigations

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21
Q

caucus:

A

all the members of a party - republican or democrat - within a legislative chamber; also refers to meetings of members of a political party in a chamber

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22
Q

rank-and-file members:

A

legislators who do not hold leadership positions or senior committee posts

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23
Q

apportionment:

A

the allotting of districts according to population shifts

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24
Q

gerrymandering:

A

districts clearly drawn with the intent of pressing partisan advantage at the expense of other considerations

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25
Q

malapportionment:

A

a situation in which the principle of equal representation is violated

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26
Q

majority-minority district:

A

districts in which members of a minority group, such as African Americans or Hispanics, make up a majority of the population or electorate

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27
Q

professionalized legislatures:

A

the process of providing legislators with the resources they need to make politics their main career, such as making their positions full-time or providing them with full-time staff

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28
Q

plural-executive system:

A

a state government in which the governor is not the dominant figure in the executive branch but, instead, is more of a first among equals, serving alongside numerous other officials who were elected to their offices rather than appointed by the governor

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29
Q

formal powers:

A

the powers explicitly granted to a governor according to state law
1. to appoint
2. to prepare state budgets
3. to veto
4. to grant pardons
5. to call special sessions

30
Q

informal powers:

A

the things a governor is able to do based on personality or position, not on formal authority

31
Q

appointment powers:

A

a governors ability to pick individuals to run state government, such as cabinet secretaries

32
Q

impeachment:

A

a process by which the legislature can remove executive branch officials such as the governor, or judges from office for corruption or other reasons

33
Q

recall election:

A

a special election allowing voters to remove an elected official from office before the end of his or her term

34
Q

criminal cases:

A

legal cases brought by the state intending to punish violations of law

35
Q

civil cases:

A

legal cases that involve disputes between private parties

36
Q

trial court:

A

the first level of the court system

37
Q

settlement:

A

a mutual agreement between parties to end a civil case before going to trial

38
Q

plea bargain:

A

an agreement in which the accused in a criminal case admits guilt, usually in exchange for a promise that a particular sentence will be imposed

39
Q

appeal:

A

a request to have a lower court’s decision in a case reviewed by a higher court

40
Q

intermediate appellate court:

A

a court that reviews court cases to find possible errors in their proceedings

41
Q

state supreme court:

A

the highest level of appeals court in a state

42
Q

precedent:

A

in law, the use of the past to determine current interpretation and decision making

43
Q

bench trial:

A

a trial in which no jury is present and the judge decides the facts as well as the law

44
Q

prejudicial error:

A

an error that affects the outcome of a case

45
Q

En banc:

A

appeals court sessions in which all the judges hear a case together

46
Q

panel:

A

groups of (usually) three judges who sit to hear cases ini a state court of appeals

47
Q

pure appointive system:

A

judicial selection systems in which the governor alone appoints judges without preselection of candidates by a nominating commission

48
Q

merit selection

A

in a merit system there is a bipartisan committee that gives the governor a list and from the list of candidates the governor must pick somebody

49
Q

spoils system:

A

a system under which an electoral winner has the right to decide who works for public agencies

50
Q

patronage:

A

the process of giving government jobs to partisan loyalists

51
Q

neutral competence:

A

the idea that public agencies should be the impartial implementers of democratic decisions

52
Q

merit selection:

A

a system used in public agencies in which employment and promotions are based on qualifications and demonstrated ability

53
Q

collective bargaining:

A

a process in which representatives of labor and management meet to negotiate pay and benefits, job responsibilities and working conditions

54
Q

affirmative action:

A

a set of policies designed to help organizations recruit and promote employees who are members of disadvantaged groups

55
Q

representative bureaucracy:

A

the idea that public agencies that reflect the diversity of the communities they serve will be more effective

56
Q

professionalization:

A

the rewarding of jobs in a bureaucratic agency bases on applicants specific qualification and and merit

57
Q

contracting out:

A

government hiring of private or nonprofit organizations to deliver public goods and services

58
Q

rulemaking:

A

the process of translating laws into written instructions on what public agencies will or will not do

59
Q

bureaucracy:

A

public agencies and the programs and services they implement and manage

60
Q

bureaucrats:

A

employees of public agencies

61
Q

policy implementation:

A

the process of translating the express wishes of government into action

62
Q

street-level bureaucrat

A

a lower-level public agency employee who actually takes the actions outlined in law or policy

63
Q

veto:

A

a governor’s rejection of legislation passed by legislature

64
Q

prosecutor:

A

a government official and lawyer who conducts criminal cases on behalf of the people

65
Q

public defender:

A

a government lawyer who provides free legal services to persons accused of crimes who cannot afford to hire lawyers

66
Q

indictment:

A

a formal criminal charge

67
Q

grand jury:

A

a group of between 16 and 23 citizens who decide if a case should go to trial; if the grand jury decides that it should an indictment is issued

68
Q

contract attorneys:

A

private attorneys who enter into agreement with states, counties, or judicial districts to work on a fixed-fee basis per case or for a specific length of time

69
Q

rocket docket:

A

court schedule that fast-tracks cases that often have limited, specific deadlines for specific court procedures

70
Q

supermajority:

A

any vote by a legislative body that must get more votes than a simple majority of voted in order to win approval

pols 207 (3 decks)

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