Feds give $x for light rail transit if the state also contributes $x.
What is a matching grant?
100
Power is divided between a national government and regional governments.
What is federalism?
100
Party regulars meet in small groups to ask questions, discuss qualifications and debate the merits of candidates.
What is a caucus?
100
Money donated directly to a candidate.
What is hard money?
100
Delegated powers; found in the Constitution.
What are enumerated powers?
200
Feds will give $x for a bridge, but the state has to pay for an environmental impact statement and lower the blood alcohol content for a DUI to 0.08 and hire welfare recipients and…
What is a categorical grant?
200
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
What is the 10th Amendment?
200
People may vote in a party's primary only if they are registered members of that party prior to election day. Independents cannot participate.
What is a closed primary?
200
Congressional act that eliminated soft money contributions to national party committees and doubled the contribution limit for hard money (tied to inflation).
What is the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BRCA) or the McCain-Feingold Act?
200
Phrase used to describe the mutual respect and legality of laws, public records, and judicial decisions made by states.
What is full faith and credit?
300
Feds will give the state $x for welfare. The state creates and administers its own program and spends the $ the way they wish, as long as it’s spent on welfare
What is a block grant?
300
SCOTUS used the Supremacy clause to determine that the State may not tax the federal government (via the creation of a bank).
What is McCulloch v. Maryland?
300
All voters can take part and may cast votes on a ballot of any party.
What is an open primary?
300
Organized by interest groups to pool contributions from members or employees to give to candidates or parties; members and employees choose to donate or not donate.
What is a Political Action Committee (PAC)?
300
A custom whereby presidential appointments are confirmed only if there is no objection to them by the senators from the appointee's state, especially from the senior senator of the president's party from that state.
What is Senatorial courtesy?
400
The Federal government tells the state they must comply with a national goal; in this case, Congress doesn't give the states any money.
What is an unfunded mandate?
400
Loophole used to expand the power of the federal government; first used in Gibbons v. Ogden.
What is the Commerce clause?
400
All candidates appear on the same ballot, regardless of party. Top two vote getters advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation.
What is a blanket/top two primary?
400
A social welfare organization. Nonprofit, tax-exempt groups can engage in varying amounts of political activity, but it CANNOT be their main function. INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES.
What is a 501(c)(4)?
400
The process in which it takes 60 senators to cut off a filibuster; aimed at protecting minority interests.
What is cloture?
500
Also known as cooperative federalism, it's characterized by a blending of the state and federal powers.
What is marble cake federalism?
500
Adopted by the delegates at the Constitutional Convention; created a bicameral legislature, where one house is represented by population and the other house is represented by the states.
What is the Connecticut Compromise?
500
An unelected delegate who is free to support any candidate for the presidential nomination at the party's national convention.
What is a super delegate?
500
Nonprofit, tax-exempt groups that raise unlimited funds from individuals, corporations and unions to expressly advocate for or against federal candidates. INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES.
What is a 527?
500
The interrelationship between an agency in the executive branch, Congress, and one or more outside clients of the agency.