Vocabulary
What is an off year election?
An election year in between Presidential elections
What system of government is it when those in power are not held accountable to the will of the people or for its policies?
Dictatorship (autocracy and oligarchy areok too)
What does it mean for our legislative branch to be bicameral?
It means we have two houses, in our case, the Senate and the House of REpresentatives.
How many years can a person serve as President?
10 max (2 terms plus half of a term completed for a president who retires, dies, or is removed from office).
What is judicial review?
The power of the Supreme Court to declare Executive and Legislative Acts unconstitutional
What is a bureaucracy?
A complex administrative structure that handles the day to day business of an organization
What system of government is based on religious doctrine?
Theocracy
What is the difference in length of terms between Senators and Representatives?
Four years is the difference; Senators serve six years and Representatives serve 2.
What is one limit of the President's ability to use military force as the Commander and Chief?
War Powers Act stipulations (only 60 days) Only Congress can declare war, Congress controls money.
What is one benefit of a dual court system?
Spreading out the caseload, Less bias, ability to deal with differing state laws
What are the implied powers of Congress (what they are in general, not examples)?
Powers that Congress has to allow them to execute their expressed powers.
What is it called when people vote strictly based on the political party with which they associate themselves?
Straight Ticket Voting
What are TWO signs or characteristics that gerrymandering is occurring?
Oddly shaped districts, packing minority voters into one or few districts, spreading minority voters thinly cross districts, vastly different populations across districts, division based on urban vs. rural.
What are two limits to the President's power?
Congressional oversight, judicial review, impeachment, war powers act, congressional override of vetoes, Congress declares war, Congress approves treaties.
What is one consequence that might have resulted if Marbury vs. Madison had never happened?
The supreme Court would have never had judicial review power and it may have led to the other branches of government having no constitutional checks placed on them. This might have resulted in the other branches becoming too powerful/doing what they want.
What would it mean for a person to be considered a strict constructionist?
He or she wants a strict interpretation of the Constitution, minimal implied powers per the Necessary and Proper Clause, and more state rights.
What voting phenomenon regarding voting tends first evolved or was noticed in the 1980s?
The gender gap.
Name one thing the Reapportionment Act of 1929 did.
Set the number of seats in Congress at 435, demanded reapportionment every 10 years, established the the Census Bureau is responsible for reapportionment plan, required presidential approval of reapportionment plan.
The President decides not to inform Congress and the public about intelligence gathered by the CIA regarding terrorist plots against the nation. This is an example of the President using his power of...
Executive Privilege
What are the four things a judge is responsible for during a non-jury trial?
Maintaining courtroom proceedures, deciding the verdict, sentencing, interpret the law.
What is Congressional oversight?
When Congress oversees and evaluates the legality of Executive policies, programs, and actions.
What is the difference between direct and indirect democracy?
Direct democracy is where every was when there were mass meetings and the people directly made the laws themselves Indirect democracy is when elected officials are the ones who make the ;aws.
What is one advantage of having single member districts?
Voters only need to know the candidates for one representative seat, minority party representatives can be chosen for certain districts, representatives have more smaller areas to concern themselves with/advocate for.
What are the age, citizenship, and residency requirements for a person to become President?
Age=35 Citizenship= natural born citizen (must be born here or to American parents if abroad) Residency= 14 years in the US
What are the requirements to be a judges and what is the process for becoming one?
There are NO formal requirements to be a federal judge. One needs to be appointed by the executive and confirmed by the Senate.