Essential Election Season Vocabulary: U.S. Government Lingo

Learning this list will prime you to better understand news articles about the daily business of the American government. Note that the sentence examples for these words were plucked from a variety of reputable news sources (The Washington Times, The LA Times, Time, etc.)
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. amendment
    a statement that is added to a proposal or document
    The constitutional amendment requires a simple majority of votes to be approved. Washington Times (Jun 28, 2016)
  2. appropriation
    money set aside for a specific purpose, as by a legislature
    The appropriation he’d voted for was to help finance a new library at Philadelphia University, and it amounted to just two million dollars. The New Yorker (Jun 20, 2016)
  3. bicameral
    composed of two legislative bodies
    Brazil has a bicameral legislature, much like the United States, with a Senate and Chamber of Deputies. Los Angeles Times (Mar 1, 2016)
    The United States has a Senate and a House of Representatives.
  4. cabinet
    group chosen by a head of state to run executive departments
    Frances Perkins, the Secretary of Labor and first woman to serve in a presidential cabinet, led this effort. Time (Jun 24, 2016)
  5. caucus
    meet to select a candidate or promote a policy
    To better delegate their electors, Federalists and Republicans in Congress began meeting in a caucus where they decided their party’s Presidential nominee. The New Yorker (Jun 27, 2016)
  6. Congress
    the legislature of the United States government
    This is a logical and common-sense piece of legislation that Congress can hopefully find agreement on and support. Washington Times (Jun 28, 2016)
  7. delegate
    a person appointed or elected to represent others
    Then, a majority of the full convention’s 2,472 delegates would have to approve. Seattle Times (Jun 17, 2016)
  8. democracy
    the orientation of those who favor government by the people
    If democracy is not to give voice to even the most controversial, marginal or unpopular opinions, then what is the purpose of democracy at all? New York Times (Jun 28, 2016)
  9. electoral college
    the body that formally selects the United States president
    Under the constitution, if no presidential candidate emerges from the election with a clear majority of 270 electoral college votes, then Congress gets to decide. The Guardian (May 10, 2016)
  10. executive
    having the function of carrying out plans or orders
    Obama’s executive amnesty grab was a big stretch, even for the master of the executive order. New York Times (Jun 25, 2016)
    The president and his Cabinet's responsibilities.
  11. federalism
    government divided between central and regional powers
    This raises substantial questions concerning both federalism and separation of powers. Washington Post (Jun 7, 2016)
  12. filibuster
    a tactic for delaying legislation by making long speeches
    Refusing to relinquish the floor for any other Senate action, a filibuster, typically requires standing there and speaking. Seattle Times (Jun 16, 2016)
  13. fiscal
    involving financial matters
    The state is likely to have between $5 million and $15 million in the general fund to begin the next fiscal year, he said. Seattle Times (Jun 22, 2016)
  14. House of Representatives
    the lower legislative assembly of the United States Congress
    Whether the measure can also pass the House of Representatives is an open question. US News (Jun 22, 2016)
    The United States government currently has 435 representatives. Each state has a different number of representatives depending on its population.
  15. incumbent
    the official who holds an office
    The congressional contests have drawn less attention, mostly because it looks unlikely that any incumbents will lose, but there have been some flashpoints. Washington Times (Jun 4, 2016)
  16. judicial
    relating to the administration of justice
    Time and the judicial system will ultimately determine whether his action falls within the scope of the governor’s power. Washington Times (Jun 22, 2016)
    The Supreme Court.
  17. legislative
    relating to a lawmaking assembly
    The Constitution assigns certain powers to the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the federal government. Reuters (Jun 23, 2016)
    This is the branch of government that involves the Senate and House of Representatives.
  18. legislature
    an assembly that makes, amends, or repeals laws
    He praised the Legislature for crafting a creative, bipartisan measure. Washington Times (Jun 27, 2016)
  19. lobbyist
    someone who is employed to persuade how legislators vote
    Together, the anti-tax forces spent millions of dollars on advertisements and lobbyists. New York Times (Jun 8, 2016)
  20. primary
    an election to choose a candidate for the general election
    Primaries are being held Tuesday in the four New York congressional districts with incumbents retiring at the end of the year. Washington Times (Jun 28, 2016)
  21. referendum
    a legislative act referred for approval to a popular vote
    More than two million people have signed an online petition for a second referendum on a British exit from the European Union. Time (Jun 25, 2016)
  22. representative
    a member of the lower body of the United States Congress
    The measure, which got 68 votes, is identical to the plan passed by the House of Representatives this month. Reuters (Jun 29, 2016)
  23. republic
    a form of government whose head of state is not a monarch
    Pace my Twitter pals, the EU is not a federal constitutional republic like the United States. Seattle Times (Jun 24, 2016)
  24. Senate
    the upper house of the United States Congress
    It was unclear how quickly the Senate would move to a final vote on the bill. Reuters (Jun 29, 2016)
    The United States government has 100 senators (2 per state).
  25. veto
    a vote that blocks a decision
    The governor vetoed the bill, but the Legislature overrode the veto in April, shortly before adjourning. Washington Times (Jun 26, 2016)
Created on Tue Jun 28 12:06:10 EDT 2016 (updated Fri Oct 16 12:59:48 EDT 2020)

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