AP GOV Unit 2 (Pt. 1)

• What is apportionment in the context of House seats?


  Dividing House seats among states based on population
• When does reapportionment occur?


  Every 10 years after the census
• What is malapportionment?


  When legislative districts are of unequal size, violating "one person, one vote"
• What is gerrymandering?


  The practice of drawing electoral district boundaries to benefit a political party
• What are majority-minority districts?


  Electoral districts where most voters belong to racial or ethnic minorities
• What was the ruling in Shaw v. Reno (1993)?


  Racial gerrymandering is unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause
• What is partisan gerrymandering?


  Drawing electoral districts to give an unfair advantage to a particular political party
• What did Baker v. Carr (1962) establish?


  The principle of "one person, one vote"
• What is substantive representation?


  When elected officials advocate for the interests of their constituents
• What is descriptive representation?


  When elected representatives share similar characteristics with their constituents
• What is the trustee model of representation?


  Lawmakers use their own judgment when making decisions
• What is the delegate model of representation?


  Representatives act strictly in line with their constituents' wishes
• What is the politico model of representation?


  Representatives act as trustees or delegates depending on the issue
• What is incumbency advantage?


  The electoral edge afforded to those already in office
• What is logrolling?


  The practice of legislators exchanging favors by voting for each other's proposed legislation
• What is pork barrel spending?


  Government spending on localized projects to benefit a representative's district
• What is discretionary spending?


  Government spending implemented through an appropriations bill
• What is mandatory spending?


  Expenditures required by law, including Social Security and Medicare
• Who is the Speaker of the House?


  The presiding officer of the U.S. House of Representatives
• What is the role of the Senate Majority Leader?


  Responsible for scheduling legislative activity and guiding the party's priorities
• What is the role of the Minority Leader?


  Coordinating the minority party’s strategy and opposition to the majority
• What are Party Whips responsible for?


  Ensuring party discipline and counting votes
• What does the House Rules Committee do?


  Determines the rules for debate on a bill in the House
• What is the Committee of the Whole?


  A procedure where the House meets as one large committee to expedite debate
• What are holds in the Senate?


  An informal practice where a senator temporarily blocks consideration of a bill
• What are unanimous consent agreements?


  Agreements that set the terms for considering a bill in the Senate
• What are filibusters?


  A tactic used in the Senate to delay or block legislative action
• What is cloture?


  A procedure to end a filibuster, requiring 60 votes
• What is a veto?


  The president’s constitutional power to reject a bill
• What is a pocket veto?


  A way for the president to kill a bill by not signing it before Congress adjourns
• What is gridlock in Congress?


  A situation where there is little to no legislative progress due to partisan disagreement
• What is divided government?

  When the presidency is controlled by one party and one or both chambers of Congress by the opposing party
• What are formal/enumerated powers?


  Powers explicitly granted to the president by the Constitution
• What are informal powers of the president?


  Powers not explicitly listed in the Constitution but exercised by the president
• What are presidential pardons?


  The president's power to grant clemency for federal crimes
• What is executive privilege?


  The president's right to withhold information from Congress or the courts
• What is an executive agreement?


  An agreement made by the president with a foreign nation that does not require Senate ratification
• What are executive orders?


  Directives issued by the president to federal agencies
• What is a signing statement?


  A statement issued by the president when signing a bill into law
• What is the War Powers Resolution (1973)?


  A law designed to limit the president's ability to engage in military actions without Congressional approval