POLI CH.11 Flashcards
reapportionment
Redistribution of representatives among the states, based on population change. The House is reapportioned after each census.
impeachment
The formal charge of a government official with “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors”
Incumbent
A current officeholder
gerrymandering
Redrawing a congressional district to intentionally benefit one political party.
casework
Solving problems for constituents, especially problems involving government agencies.
descriptive representation
A belief that constituents are most effectively represented by legislators who are similar to them in such key demographic characteristics as race, ethnicity, religion, or gender.
racial gerrymandering
The drawing of a legislative district to maximize the chance that a minority candidate will win election.
veto
The president’s approval of a bill that has been passed by both houses of Congress. Congress can override a veto with a two-thirds vote in each house.
standing committee
A permanent congressional committee that specializes in a particular policy area.
Joint committee
A committee made up of members of both the House and the Senate.
select committee
A temporary congressional committee created for a specific purpose and disbanded after that purpose is fulfilled.
conference committee
A temporary committee created to work out differences between the House and Senate versions of a specific piece of legislation
seniority
Years of consecutive service on a particular congressional committee.
oversight
The process of reviewing the operations of an agency to determine whether it is carrying out policies as Congress intended
Speaker of the House
The presiding officer of the House of Representatives
majority leader
The head of the majority party in the Senate; the second highest ranking member of the majority party in the House.
filibuster
A delaying tactic, used in the Senate, that allows any senator to prevent a bill from coming to a vote.
cloture
The mechanism by which a filibuster is cut off in the Senate.
hold
A letter requesting that a bill be held from floor debate.
constituents
People who live and vote in a government official’s district or state
trustee
A representative who is obligated to consider the views of constituents but is not obligated to vote according to those views if he or she believes they are misguided
delegate
A legislator whose primary responsibility is to represent the majority view of his or her constituents, regardless of his or her own view.
parliamentary system
A system of government in which the chief executive is the leader whose party holds the most seats in the legislature after an election or whose party forms a major part of the ruling coalition.
earmarks
Federal funds appropriated by Congress for use on local projects.
