Terms : Hide Images
| 5649662068 | Amicus curiae | An argument filed with a court by an individual or group who is not a party to a lawsuit | 0 | |
| 5649662069 | Block Grants | Federal money given to the states with few restrictions about how it should be spent | 1 | |
| 5649662070 | Casework | When congressional staff help a constituent solve a problem | 2 | |
| 5649662071 | Categorical Grants | Money given by the federal government to the states to be used for a narrowly defined purpose | 3 | |
| 5649662072 | Caucus | Face-to-face meetings of party members at the local or state level to determine their party's candidate for office | 4 | |
| 5649662073 | Closed primary | A vote by party members to determine their party's candidate for office, which is restricted to those who are registered to the party | 5 | |
| 5649662074 | Cooperative Federalism | A system where the federal government and the states work together in funding and administering programs | 6 | |
| 5649662075 | Critical Elections | An election where new coalitions of voters have formed, beginning a new party era | 7 | |
| 5649662076 | Dealignment | When voters no longer identify with one of the two major parties and become independent voters | 8 | |
| 5649662077 | Demographics | The statistical characteristics of a population | 9 | |
| 5649662078 | Devolution | A process by which the national government gives more power and authority to the states | 10 | |
| 5649662079 | Divided Government | When the president is from one political party and one or both houses of Congress are controlled by the opposing political party | 11 | |
| 5649662080 | Entitlements | Promises made by the government to an identifiable group of people who are guaranteed benefits | 12 | |
| 5649662081 | Executive Order | A presidential directive | 13 | |
| 5649662082 | Expressed Powers | Powers that are given to an institution of government directly in the Constitution, such as Congress's power to tax | 14 | |
| 5649662083 | Federalism | A system of government where power is shared between the national government and the states in which the states have some protected powers | 15 | |
| 5649662084 | Filibuster | A procedure used in the Senate to talk a bill to death | 16 | |
| 5649662085 | Fiscal Federalism | The use of spending by the national government through the grant process to influence state policies | 17 | |
| 5649662086 | Fiscal Policy | Impacting the economy through taxing and spending in the budget | 18 | |
| 5649662087 | Franking Privilege | The free mail and electronic signature system used by members of Congress | 19 | |
| 5649662088 | Gender Gap | The tendency of men to support candidates from the Republican party at greater rates than women | 20 | |
| 5649662089 | General Election | An election to select the person who will hold office | 21 | |
| 5649662090 | Gerrymandering | Drawing congressional district boundaries to benefit a group, usually a political party | 22 | |
| 5649662091 | Grassroots Lobbying | Ordinary citizens raising awareness for a cause and pushing the government to adopt a particular policy | 23 | |
| 5649662092 | Horse Race Journalism | The tendency of the media to focus on which candidate is ahead in the polls rather than focusing on the issues | 24 | |
| 5649662093 | Implied Powers | Powers that are necessary to carry out an expressed power in the Constitution, like the power of Congress to establish a bank | 25 | |
| 5649662094 | Incumbent | An officeholder who is running for reelection | 26 | |
| 5649662095 | Independent Expenditures | Money spent on ads that are not sponsored by a candidate or party | 27 | |
| 5649662096 | Inherent Powers | Powers that are naturally derived from the duties of a specific government position, such as Thomas Jefferson's power to purchase the Louisiana Territory | 28 | |
| 5649662097 | Interest Groups | An organization that advocates for policies through lobbying, electioneering, grassroots mobilization and protesting | 29 | |
| 5649662098 | Issue Network (Iron Triangle) | A relationship between interest groups, agencies, and congressional committees in a certain policy area | 30 | |
| 5649662099 | Judicial Activism | A philosophy that the Supreme Court should make bold new policy | 31 | |
| 5649662100 | Judicial Review | The power of the Supreme Court to overturn a law or executive action as unconstitutional | 32 | |
| 5649662101 | Lame Duck Period | The time during which a president who has lost an election or has ended a second term is still in office before the new president serves | 33 | |
| 5649662102 | Litigation | A lawsuit | 34 | |
| 5649662103 | Lobbying | Efforts by an interest group or individual to contact a member of Congress and advocate for a particular policy | 35 | |
| 5649662104 | Logrolling | When members of Congress trade votes for favors in order to get the bills they support passed | 36 | |
| 5649662105 | Uncontrollable Spending | Expenditures that the federal government is obligated to make, like entitlements and interest on the national debt | 37 | |
| 5649662106 | Mid-term Elections | An election in which voters select members of Congress, but not the president | 38 | |
| 5649662107 | Monetary Policy | Influencing the economy through federal interest rates, reserve rates, and the amount of money in circulation | 39 | |
| 5649662108 | Motion for Cloture | A vote by 60 senators to end a filibuster | 40 | |
| 5649662109 | Open Primary | An election to determine a party's candidate for office in which that party's members and unaffiliated voters may vote | 41 | |
| 5649662110 | Original Intent | Making judicial decisions by considering what the founding fathers meant in the Constitution | 42 | |
| 5649662111 | Oversight | Congressional committee hearings held to determine how well an agency is doing its job | 43 | |
| 5649662112 | PAC | An organization that is registered with the Federal Election Committee (FEC) and donates money to a candidate or campaign | 44 | |
| 5649662113 | Party Polarization | When political parties move farther away from each other ideologically and also move away from the center | 45 | |
| 5649662114 | Pluralism | A theory of government in which many groups compete for policy | 46 | |
| 5649662115 | Pocket Veto | When a president does not sign a bill within 10 days when Congress is not in session | 47 | |
| 5649662116 | Policy Agenda | Problems that have the attention of the government and the public | 48 | |
| 5649662117 | Political Culture | The shared political values of a society | 49 | |
| 5649662118 | Political Efficacy | An individual's belief that his or her political participation can make a difference | 50 | |
| 5649662119 | Political Socialization | The process by which an individual develops his or her political beliefs | 51 | |
| 5649662120 | Pork Barrel Spending | A provision in a bill that benefits a specific congressional constituency | 52 | |
| 5649662121 | Realignment | The process through which voters leave one of the major party coalition and join the other major party's coalition | 53 | |
| 5649662122 | Redistricting | Changing congressional district boundaries based on a new census | 54 | |
| 5649662123 | Selective Incorporation | The process by which the Bill of Rights has been applied to the states on a case-by-case basis through the Fourteenth Amendment | 55 | |
| 5649662124 | Single-member Districts | The electoral system used to select members of the House of Representatives | 56 | |
| 5649662125 | Stare decicis | When a court follows precedent by letting a previous decision stand | 57 | |
| 5649662126 | Suffrage | The right to vote | 58 | |
| 5649662127 | Super PAC | An organization which need not disclose its members that can spend a vast and unlimited amount of money on political campaign | 59 | |
| 5649662128 | Mandatory Spending | Expenditures that the federal government cannot realistically reduce because they are required by law | 60 | |
| 5649662129 | Unfunded Mandate | A federal requirement that forces the states to spend their own money | 61 | |
| 5649662130 | White House Staff | The president's personal assistants and advisors | 62 | |
| 5649662131 | Writ of Certiorari | A document issued by the Supreme Court if it has agreed to hear a case | 63 | |
| 5649662132 | Political Party | A group of individuals who organize to run candidates for office | 64 |
