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| The process in which the decision of a numerical majority is made binding on a group. |
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| The assembling of an alliance of groups to pursue a common goal or intrest. |
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| The practice in which a legislator will give a colleague a vote on a particular bill in return for that colleague’s vote on another bill to be considered later. |
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| Debates that under Senate rules can drag on, blocking final action on the bill under consideration and preventing other bills from being debated. |
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| Amendments to a bill that are not central to its intent. |
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| A group of legislators formally tasked with considering and writing bills in a particular issue area. |
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| Geographical areas represented by members of a legislature. |
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| The result when there is no consensus on a policy change or spending amount but legislators find a central point on which a majority can agree. |
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| When individual legislators act as the voices of their constituencies within the House or Senate. |
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| The work done by legislators to help those in their voting districts. |
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| The work undertaken by legislators and their staffs in response to requests for help from constituents. |
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| The role the legislature takes in making sure that the implementation of its laws by the executive branch is being done properly. |
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| All the members of a party -Republican or Democrat- within a legislative chamber. Also refers to meetings of members of a political party in a chamber. |
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| Legislators who do not hold leadership positions or senior committee posts. |
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| Legislators who primarily see their role as voting according to their constituent’s beliefs as they understand them. |
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| Legislators who believe they were elected to exercise their own judgment and to approach issues accordingly. |
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| The process of providing legislators with the resources to make politics their main career, such as making their positions full time or providing them with full staff. |
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| The allotting of districts according to population shifts. The number of congressional districts a state has may be reapportioned every ten years. |
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| The drawing of new boundaries for congressional and state legislative districts, usually following a decennial census. |
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| Districts clearly drawn with the intent of pressing partisan advantage at the expense of other considerations. |
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| A situation in which the principle of equal representation is violated. |
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Term
| Majority-Minority Districts |
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Definition
| Districts in which a minority group, make up the majority of the population or electorate. |
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