exam 2 vocab Flashcards
cause lobbyist:
a person who works for an organization that tracks and promotes an issue
contract lobbyist:
lobbyists who work for different causes for different clients
closed primary:
a nominating election in which only voters belonging to that party may participate
crossover voting:
voting by a member of one party in another party’s primary
this process is not allowed in all states
open primary:
a nominating election that is open to all registered voters regardless of their party affiliations
runoff primary:
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
general elections:
decisive elections in which all registered voters cast ballots for their preferred candidates for a political office
party conventions:
meetings of party delegates called to nominate candidates for office and establish party agendas
factional splits or factions:
groups that struggle to control the message within a party; for example, a party may be split into competing regional factions
nonpartisan ballots:
ballots that do not list candidates by political party; still often used in local elections
Super PACs:
political action committees that can spend unlimited funds on behalf of political candidates but cannot directly coordinate their plans with those candidates
committee:
a group of legislators who have the formal task of considering and writing bills in a particular issue area
override:
the process by which legislative chambers vote to challenge a gubernatorial veto; often requires a supermajority of two-thirds
coalition building:
the assembly of an alliance of groups to pursue a common goal or interest
logrolling:
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
districts:
the geographical areas represented by members of a legislature
filibuster:
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
riders:
amendments to a bill that are not central to the bill’s intent
constituent service:
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
oversight:
they oversee the activities of the governor and the executive branch and some private businesses through public hearings, budget reviews, and formal investigations
caucus:
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
rank-and-file members:
legislators who do not hold leadership positions or senior committee posts
apportionment:
the allotting of districts according to population shifts
gerrymandering:
districts clearly drawn with the intent of pressing partisan advantage at the expense of other considerations
malapportionment:
a situation in which the principle of equal representation is violated
majority-minority district:
districts in which members of a minority group, such as African Americans or Hispanics, make up a majority of the population or electorate
professionalized legislatures:
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
plural-executive system:
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
formal powers:
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
informal powers:
the things a governor is able to do based on personality or position, not on formal authority
appointment powers:
a governors ability to pick individuals to run state government, such as cabinet secretaries
impeachment:
a process by which the legislature can remove executive branch officials such as the governor, or judges from office for corruption or other reasons
recall election:
a special election allowing voters to remove an elected official from office before the end of his or her term
criminal cases:
legal cases brought by the state intending to punish violations of law
civil cases:
legal cases that involve disputes between private parties
trial court:
the first level of the court system
settlement:
a mutual agreement between parties to end a civil case before going to trial
plea bargain:
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
appeal:
a request to have a lower court’s decision in a case reviewed by a higher court
intermediate appellate court:
a court that reviews court cases to find possible errors in their proceedings
state supreme court:
the highest level of appeals court in a state
precedent:
in law, the use of the past to determine current interpretation and decision making
bench trial:
a trial in which no jury is present and the judge decides the facts as well as the law
prejudicial error:
an error that affects the outcome of a case
En banc:
appeals court sessions in which all the judges hear a case together
panel:
groups of (usually) three judges who sit to hear cases ini a state court of appeals
pure appointive system:
judicial selection systems in which the governor alone appoints judges without preselection of candidates by a nominating commission
merit selection
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
spoils system:
a system under which an electoral winner has the right to decide who works for public agencies
patronage:
the process of giving government jobs to partisan loyalists
neutral competence:
the idea that public agencies should be the impartial implementers of democratic decisions
merit selection:
a system used in public agencies in which employment and promotions are based on qualifications and demonstrated ability
collective bargaining:
a process in which representatives of labor and management meet to negotiate pay and benefits, job responsibilities and working conditions
affirmative action:
a set of policies designed to help organizations recruit and promote employees who are members of disadvantaged groups
representative bureaucracy:
the idea that public agencies that reflect the diversity of the communities they serve will be more effective
professionalization:
the rewarding of jobs in a bureaucratic agency bases on applicants specific qualification and and merit
contracting out:
government hiring of private or nonprofit organizations to deliver public goods and services
rulemaking:
the process of translating laws into written instructions on what public agencies will or will not do
bureaucracy:
public agencies and the programs and services they implement and manage
bureaucrats:
employees of public agencies
policy implementation:
the process of translating the express wishes of government into action
street-level bureaucrat
a lower-level public agency employee who actually takes the actions outlined in law or policy
veto:
a governor’s rejection of legislation passed by legislature
prosecutor:
a government official and lawyer who conducts criminal cases on behalf of the people
public defender:
a government lawyer who provides free legal services to persons accused of crimes who cannot afford to hire lawyers
indictment:
a formal criminal charge
grand jury:
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
contract attorneys:
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
rocket docket:
court schedule that fast-tracks cases that often have limited, specific deadlines for specific court procedures
supermajority:
any vote by a legislative body that must get more votes than a simple majority of voted in order to win approval
