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direct or participatory democracy
a government in which all or most citizens participate directly
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representative democracy
a government in which leaders made decisions by winning a competitive struggle for popular vote
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elite
people who posses a disproportionate share of some resource
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marxist view
view that the government is dominated by capitalists
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power elite view
view that the government is dominated by a few top leaders, most of whom are outside the government
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bureaucratic view
view that the government is dominated by appointed officials
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pluralist view
the belief that competition among all affected interests shapes public policy
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articles of confederation
a weak constitution that governed america during the revolutionary war
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constitutional convention
a meeting in philadelphia in 1787 that produced the new constitution
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virginia plan
proposal to create a strong national government
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new jersey plan
the proposal to create a weak national government
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great compromise
plan to have a popularly elected house based on state population and a state-elected senate with two members per state
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republic
a government in which elected representatives make the decisions
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judicial review
the power of the courts to declare laws unconstitutional
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federalism
government authority shared by national and local governments
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enumerated powers
the powers given to the national government that are stated in the constitution
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reserved powers
powers given, or reserved, to the state governments
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concurrent powers
powers shared by the national and state governments
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separation of pwers
constitutional power is shared by three branches of government; executive, legislative, judicial
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faction
a group with a distinct political interest
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federalists
those who favor a stronger government
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antifederalists
those who favor a weaker government
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coalition
an alliance of factions
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of rights
the first ten amendments to the constitution
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habeaus corpus
an order to produce an arrested person before a judge
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bill of attainder
a law that declares a person, without a trial, to be guilty of a trial
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ex post facto law
a law that makes an act criminal although the act was legal when committed
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amendment
a new provision in the constitution that has been ratified by the states
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line-item veto
an executive's ability to block a particular provision in a bill passed by the legislature
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devolution
- the effort to transfer responsibility for many public programs and services from the federal govt to the states.
- the weakening of national government
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block grant
money from the national government that states can spend within broad guidelines
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mandate
terms set by the national government that states must meet whether or not they accept federal grants
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necessary and proper clause
section of the constitution allowing congress to pass all laws necessary and proper to its duties and has permitted congress to exercise powers not specifically given to it
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nullification
- a state can declare void a federal law that, in the states opinion, violates the constitution
- this is NOT constitutional
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dual federalism
the national government is supreme in its sphere and the states are supreme in theirs, and the two spheres are to be kept separate
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police power
state power to enact laws promoting health, safety and morals
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initiative
process that permits voters to put forth legistlative measures directly onto the ballot
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referendum
procedure enabling voters to reject a measure passed by the legislature
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recall
procedure whereby voters can remove an elected official from office
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grants-in-aid
money given by the national government to the states
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categorical grants
federal grants for specific purposes
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revenue sharing
federal sharing of a fixed percentage of its revenue with the states
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conditions of aid
terms set by the national government that the states must meet if they are to receive certain federal funds
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waiver
a decision by an administrative agency granting some other part permission to violate a law or rule that would otherwise apply to it
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second-order devolution
the flow of power and money from the states to local governments
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third-order devolution
the increased role of nonprofit organizations and private groups in policy implamentation
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express preemption
a federal law or regulation that contains language explicitly displacing or superseding any contrary to any state or local laws
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implied preemption
a federal law or regulation that contains language conflicting with state or local laws, that cannot be effectively implemented due to such law or that concerns matters which washington possesses exclusive constitutional powers--like treaty making.
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political culture
a distinctive and patterned way of thinking about how political and economic life ought to be carried out
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civic duty
a belief that one has an obligation to participate in civic and political affairs
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civic competence
a believe that one can affect government policies
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class consciousness
a believe that you are a member of an economic group whos interest are opposed to people in other such groups
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orthodox
a belief that morality and religion out to be of decisive importance
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progressive
a belief that personal freedom and solving social problems are more important than religion
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political efficacy
a belief that you can take a part in politics or that a government will respond to the citizenry
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internal efficacy
the ability to understand and take part in politcs
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external efficacy
the willingness of the state to respond to citizenry
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due process of law
denies the government the right, without due process of law, to deprive people of their life, liberty or property
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equal protection of the law
a standard of equal treament that must be observed by the government
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selective incorporation
court cases that apply the bill of rights to the states
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freedom of expression
the right of the people to speak, publish and assemble
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prior restraint
censorship of a publication
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clear and present danger test
law should not punish speech unless there is a clear and present danger of creating harmful actions
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libel
writing that falsely injures another person
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symbolic speech
an act that conveys a political message
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free exercise clause
first amendment requirement that law cannot prevent free exercise of religion
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establishment clause
first amendment ban on laws respecting an establishment of religion
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wall of separation
court ruling that government cannot be involved with religion
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exclusionary rule
improperly gathered evidence cannot be introduced in a criminal trial
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centralists
those who favor a greater national authority rather than state authority
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checks and balances
system in which each branch of govt can limit the power of the other
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commerce clause
gives congress the power to regulate commerce among the states, with foreign nations
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concurrent powers
power held by both the congress and the states
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confederation
system in which sovereign states are loosely tied to a central govt
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decentralists
those who favor a greater authority in the states than in the national authority
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elastic clause
states that congress can exercise those powers that are necessary and proper for carrying out their enumerated powers
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new federalism
system in which the national government restores greater authority back to the states
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federalist papers
- madison, hamilton and jay
- persuading new york to adopt the constitution
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judicial review
- power of the courts to rule the constitutionality of laws
- established by marbury v madison
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popular sovereignty
principle in which ultimate political authority rests with the people
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civil rights
the rights of th people to be treated without unreasonable unconstitutional differences
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suspect classification
classification of people on the basis of their race or ethnicity
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strict scrutiny
a supreme court test to see if a law denies equal protection because it does not serve a compelling state interest and is not narrowly tailored to achieving a goal
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de jure segregation
racial segregation by law
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de facto segregation
social segregation
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equality of result
making certain that people achieve the same result
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affirmative action
programs designed to increase minority participation by taking positive steps to appoint more minority group members
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equality of opportunity
giving people the same chance at success or failure
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public opinion
how people think or feel about particular things
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poll
a survey of political opinion
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exit polls
polls based on interviews conducted on election day with randomly selected voters
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political socialization
process by which background traits influence ones political view
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gender gap
difference between political views of men and women
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political ideology
a more or less consistent set of belifs about what policies government out to pursue
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political elites
persons with a disproportionate share of political power
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grandfather clause
a clause in the registration laws allowing people who do not meet registration requirements to vote if they or their ancestors voted before 1867
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white primary
the practice in keeping blacks from voting in souther states primaries through arbitrary use of registration requirements and intimidation
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australian ballot
a government printed ballot of uniform dimensions to be cast in secret that many states adopted in 1890 to reduce voting fraud associated with party printed ballots
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activits
people who tend to participate in all forms of politics
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political party
a group that seeks to elect candidates to public office
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mugwumps/progressives
republican party faction of 1890s to 1910 composed of reformers who opposed patronage
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realignment/ critical period
periods when a major, long lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition supporting one or both parties
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split ticket
voting for candidates of different parties for various offices in the same election
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straight ticket
voting for candidates who are all in the same party
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office-bloc ballot
a ballot listing all candidates of a given office under the name of that office
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party-column ballot
a ballot listing all candidates of a given party together under the name of their party
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national convention
a meeting of party delegates held every four years
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national committee
delegates who run party affairs between national conventions
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congressional campaign committee
a party committe in congress that provides funds to members and would-be members
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national chairman
day to day party manager elected by the national committee
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superdelegate
party leaders and elected officials who become delegates the national convention without running in primaries or caucuses
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political machine
a party organization that recruits members by dispensing patronage
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ideological party
a party that values principled stands on issues above all else
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solidary incentives
the social rewards, sense of pleasure or status
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plurality system
an electoral system in which the winner is the person who gets the most votes, even if he or she does not recieve the majority, just more than the next
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caucus
a meeting of party members to select delegates backing on or another primary candidate
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incumbent
the person already holding office
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coattails
the alleged tendency of candidates to win more votes because of the presence of a better known candidate
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political action committee
a committee set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations
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general election
an election held to choose which candidate will hold office
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primary election
an election held to chose candidate for office
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closed primary
a primary election in which voting is limited to already registered party members
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open primary
a primary election in which voters may choose in which party to vote as they enter the polling place
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blanket primary
a primary election in which each voter may vote for candidates from both parties
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runoff primary
a second primary election held when no candidate wins a majority of the votes in the first primar
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soft money
funds obtained by political parties that are spent on party activities, general use
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527 organizations
organizations that raise and spend money to advance political causes
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prospect voting
voting for a candidate because you favor his ideas
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retrospective voting
voting for a candidate because you like his past actions in office
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501(c)(3) organization
nonprofit group that may legally address political matters but may not lobby, donations are tax deductible.
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501(c)(4) organization
non profit group that is permitted to lobby and donations are NOT tax deductible
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interest group
an organization of people sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy
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public-interest lobby
a political organization whose goals will principally be to benefit its members
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political cue
a signal telling a legislator what values are at stake in a vote and how that issue fits into his or her own political views
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ratings
assessments of a representatives voting record on issues important to an interest group
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equal time rule
an FCC rule that if a broadcaster sells time to one candidate, it must sell equal time to others
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trial balloon
information leaking to the media to test the publics reaction to possible policy
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selective attention
paying attention only to those news stories with which on already agrees
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adversarial press
the tendency of the media to be suspicious of officials and eager to reveal unflattering stories about them
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bicameral legislature
a lawmaking body made up of two chambers
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marginal districts
political districts in which candidates elected to the house of reps win in close elections, typically less than 55 percent of the vote
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safe districts
districts in which incumbents win by margins of 55 or more percent
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conservative coalition
an alliance between republican and conservative democrats
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majority leader
the legislative leader elected by party member holding the majority of seats in the house or senate
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minority leader
the legislative leader elected by party members holding a minority in the house or senate
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whip
a senator or representative who helps the party leader stay informed about what part members are thinking
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party polarization
a vote in which a majority of democratics oppose a majority of republicans
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standing committee
permanently established legislative committees
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select committees
coggressional committees appointed for a limited time and purpose
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joint commitee
a committee with both senators and representatives
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conference committee
the most common joint committee appointed to resolve the differences in the senate and house versions of the same bill
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simple resolution
an expression of opinion either in house or senate to settle procedural matters in either body
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concurrent resolution
an expression of opinion without the force of law that requires the approval of both house and senate but not the pres
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joint resolution
a formal expression of congressional opinion approved by both houses and the president
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multiple referal
a bill may be sent to several committees
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sequential referral
the speaker sends the bill to a second committee once the first committee is finished
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discharge rule
a device where any member of the house, after a committee had had the bill for thirty days, may bring it back to the floor
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closed rule
an order from the house rules committee that sets time limit on debate and no amendments to the bill can be brought to the floor
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open rule
an order from the house rules committee that permits a bill to be amended on the floor
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restrictive rule
an order from the house rules committee that permits certain kinds of amendments but not others to be made on the floor
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quorum
the minimum number of members who must be present for business to be conducted in congress
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quarum call
a roll call in either house
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cloture rule
- a rule used be senate to end or limit a debate.
- only way to end a filibuster
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double-tracking
a procedure to keep the senate going during a filibuster in which the debated bill is shelved temprarily
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voice vote
a congressional voting in which members shout yea or nay; voting is quick and anonymous
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division vote
a congressional voting in which member stand and are counted
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teller vote
a congressional vote in which members pass between two tellers, the yea through the first and the nays through the second
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roll-call vote
a congressional vote that consists of each member saying yea or nay to their name
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pork barrel legislation
legislation that vies tangible benefits to constituents in several districts with the hope of winning their votes
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