American Government and Civics: American Government and Civics, List 2

We the people at Vocabulary.com, in order to form a more perfect lexicon, establish this collection of words associated with U.S. citizenship. You'll review the structure of the American government, elections, juries, and more as you explore the rights and responsibilities of American citizens.

Here are links to our lists in the collection: List 1, List 2, List 3
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. civics
    the study of the duties and rights of citizenship
    “I went to high school not long ago, and we learned about civics in government,” she recalled. New York Times (Jun 30, 2021)
  2. citizen
    a native or naturalized member of a state
    Since she’d become a citizen, my mom had voted in every election—local and federal. The Book of Unknown Americans
  3. constituent
    a citizen who is represented in a government by officials
    I learned from Vanessa that the council members must “represent the interests of their constituents.” The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora
  4. democratic
    based upon the principles of social equality
    The council was so completely democratic that all members of the tribe could participate in its deliberations. Long Walk to Freedom
  5. vote
    express one's preference for a candidate or a measure
    The flyers were asking people to come out and vote in the December 6 election. The Lions of Little Rock
  6. elect
    choose by a vote for an office or membership
    In October the other pupils elected me Student Council representative for the fourth grade. Three Little Words: A Memoir
  7. general election
    a vote conducted at the national or state level
    He did run, and easily won the primary and general election. Seattle Times (Jul 3, 2011)
  8. ballot
    a document listing the alternatives that is used in voting
    I marked an X in the box next to the letters ANC and then slipped my folded ballot paper into a simple wooden box; I had cast the first vote of my life. Long Walk to Freedom
  9. candidate
    a politician who is running for public office
    Addie: Well, we have to come up with a candidate for president by tomorrow, so we can get our posters up on Thursday. The Misfits
  10. incumbent
    the official who holds an office
    The Democrat was a surprise winner in last year’s primary, defeating incumbent Mayor William D. Euille after just one term on the city council. Washington Post (Jan 11, 2016)
  11. mayor
    the head of a city government
    We started joking about Ice running for mayor of New York and me running for governor. Slam!
  12. governor
    the head of a state authority
    The governor signed the bill into law on March 28. New York Times (Jun 9, 2022)
  13. representative
    an advocate for someone else's policy or purpose
    She was in the finance club and on the debate team, and she was my grade’s student council representative. Here to Stay
  14. senator
    a member of a legislative assembly
    I’d spent hours making calls to senators and representatives, trying to convince them that our children deserved better than what they were getting. Becoming
  15. term
    a limited period of time during which something lasts
    During her first term in Congress, the Montana legislature changed the boundaries of its voting districts, and Rankin found herself in a politically unfavorable area. Votes for Women!
  16. city council
    a group of people who govern an urban area or town
    Because city council members are elected by the citizens of the county, members would take these opinions into consideration before voting. The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora
  17. ordinance
    a statute enacted by a city government
    “Laughing is against the law. Don’t you have a rule book? It’s local ordinance 574381-W.” The Phantom Tollbooth
  18. district
    a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
    Poppy and Mom did some research regarding Liyana’s high school education and decided she might do best at an Armenian school called St. Tarkmanchatz deep in the Armenian district of the Old City. Habibi
  19. polling place
    a site where voters go to cast their votes in an election
    As people enter the polling place, Mr. Fallah said, “I want them to think about what their vote means, how it affects everyone and everything around them.” New York Times (Sep 22, 2020)
  20. secret ballot
    a voting system in which each person's vote is private
    When the secret ballots were counted, Emily won by a single vote, there being exactly one more girl than boy in the sixth grade. In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
  21. third party
    a political group opposed to others in a two-group system
    In San Juan, as in every county across the state, voters abandoned Libertarian, Green and other “third parties” in 2020. Seattle Times (Dec 10, 2020)
  22. voter turnout
    the total number who cast ballots in an election
    “Our goal is to help generate the highest voter turnout in history.” Washington Post (Oct 14, 2020)
  23. recall
    the act of removing an official by petition
    By July 2020, residents had begun a recall effort to remove her from office, but they failed to obtain enough signatures. New York Times (Jun 26, 2022)
  24. petition
    a formal request that something be submitted to an authority
    We immediately drew up a petition protesting the unfit conditions and demanding our immediate release on the grounds that our detention was illegal. Long Walk to Freedom
  25. referendum
    a legislative act referred for approval to a popular vote
    In 1953, the Danish Constitution was changed following a referendum in which more than 85% of participants voted to allow female succession. Seattle Times (Jan 13, 2022)
Created on Fri May 13 08:38:48 EDT 2022 (updated Fri Jul 08 10:56:06 EDT 2022)

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