Learning check 3.6-3.9

• Gerrymandering is the manipulation of electoral districts to favor one political party over another.
• Cracking is the practice of drawing electoral districts that divide the population of an area
• Packing is where the population of a community is consolidated into a smaller number of districts to limit its influence in other districts
• An interest group is a group of people who share common goals and organize to influence government
• Lobbying is meeting with elected officials to persuade them to make certain laws or policies
• Political action committees are organizations specifically designed to collect money and provide financial support for a political candidate
• 527 organizations are groups that don't directly urge citizens to vote for a specific candidate, but instead focus on advocating for an issue.
• SuperPAC's are entities that can receive unlimited donations and can spend unlimited sums as long as they don't coordinate with any candidates.
• PAC's use money to attempt to gain access to lawmakers and to influence education outcomes directly. They can promise or threaten support to a candidate. They can also give donations to lawmakers who don't always support the views of the PAC's and spend money on advertising.
• Personal staff work directly for individual senators and representatives. They are paid on allowances based on the senators/reps state population and distance from the capital. About 1/3 of personal staffers work in the legislators home state while the rest work in D.C
• Committee staff work for the many House and Senate committees. Specific members of Congress in a committee designate their own staff to work on these issues. There are fewer in number than personal staff
• Supporting agencies that provide services for Congress include the Library of Congress, the Congressional Budget Office, the Government Accountability Office, and the Government Printing Office.