US Government Vitamins

3/24/26 GOV Vitamin #36

Absentee Ballot – A mail-in ballot completed by someone not present at a polling place on election day

Single Issue Voting – Voting based on one specific policy issue

3/23/26 GOV Vitamin #35

Referendum – A vote by the general public to make a political policy decision

Recall – A vote to remove an elected official from office and replace them before the end of their term

Election Day – The day when citizens do all voting, takes place on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November

3/20/26 GOV Vitamin #34

Disputed election – An election whose legality or validity is questioned by a major candidate or a large part of the population

Recount – A repeat tabulation of votes cast in an election to assess the correctness of an initial count

Electoral Fraud – Illegal interference with the process of an election 

3/19/26 GOV Vitamin #33

PAC (Political Action Committee) – A tax-exempt political organization created for the purpose of raising and spending money to elect and defeat candidates

Primary – A preliminary election used to appoint delegates for a presidential candidates within a political party

Caucus – A gathering of party members with discussion and debate over the appointment of delegates for a presidential candidate

3/18/26 GOV Vitamin #32

Voter Demographic – Characteristics of voters that can be measured/identified

Voter Bloc – A group of voters that tends to vote together due to common concerns, values, and experience

Straight Ticket Voting – Voting only for one party

Voter Disenfranchisement – Preventing someone, directly or indirectly, from exercising the right to vote

3/17/26 GOV Vitamin #31

Ideology – A set of beliefs, ideas, and ideals, especially relating to political policy

Party Affiliation – Being associated with a particular political party over others

3/10/26 GOV Vitamin #30

Department of Justice – Federal department responsible for the enforcement of federal laws

Department of Homeland Security – Federal department responsible for safety and security within the United States, especially concerning terrorism

Administration – A group of everyone involved in leading the federal government during a particular president’s term in office

Executive – having the power to put laws into effect and determine how they are enforced

3/9/26 GOV Vitamin #29

Department of State – Federal department responsible for managing foreign diplomacy and diplomatic relations

Department of the Treasury – Federal department that oversees the finances of the federal government

Department of War – Federal department that is responsible for maintaining and directing the military for the purpose of national defense

3/6/26 GOV Vitamin #28

Electoral College – A system for electing the president that splits the election into 50 state elections, rather than a national popular vote

Elector – Individuals selected by political parties to ceremonial cast the electoral votes in the Electoral College after the election

Popular vote – The raw number of votes cast for each candidate

Electoral vote – Number of votes from electors in the electoral college; not necessarily representative of the country’s population as a whole

3/5/26 GOV Vitamin #27

Campaign – Organized effort to achieve victory for a particular candidate in an election race

Presidential Debate – A debate between the major presidential candidates, often hosted by a major news organization and broadcasted nationally

Inauguration – A ceremony on January 20th following an election that inducts a new president into office

Oath of Office – A president swears at their inauguration to faithfully execute the laws of the US and uphold the Constitution.  Traditionally done with a hand on the Bible.

3/4/26 GOV Vitamin #26

Executive Order – A decree made by a President that alters the operations of the federal government without the approval of Congress

Executive Privilege – The right of the President to withhold some confidential information/communications from Congress and the courts

Presidential Immunity – A president cannot be tried criminally for actions taken in office within the bounds of constitutional authority

3/3/26 GOV Vitamin #25

Secret Service – A federal agency in charge of protecting the federal political leaders and their families

State of the Union Address – A speech given annually by the President to Congress about the state of the country 

Nuclear football – A briefcase with a system for the President to remotely authorize the use of nuclear weapons in an emergency situation

3/2/26 GOV Vitamin #24

President – Head of the US federal government and its executive branch, most powerful position in government

Vice President – Elected with the president, successor to the presidency in the case of a president’s death

Cabinet – A body that advises the president on important decisions, made up of the heads of federal agencies

2/23/26 GOV Vitamin #23

Committee – Groups within Congress which investigate and deliberate on a specific issue or area of law

Committee Chair - Representative or Senator chosen to lead a committee, has powers over the procedures of the committee

2/19/26 GOV Vitamin #22

Speaker of the House - Leader of the House of Representative who decides the legislative agenda

President of the Senate - The Vice President, who presides over the Senate and can be a tie breaking vote

Majority Leader - Leader of the majority party in either the House or Senate

Whip - A legislator in charge of ensuring loyalty in voting among party members

2/18/26 GOV Vitamin #21

Senate – The upper chamber of Congress with 2 senators per state

Bill – A proposed law in Congress

Veto – A president refusing to sign a bill into law when it has been passed by Congress

Override – Congress passes a bill by more than 2/3 vote in both houses, bypassing a veto

Dead Bill – A proposed law that failed to become law

2/17/26 GOV Vitamin #20

House of Representatives – The lower chamber of Congress with representatives proportional to state populations

Congressional District – An area of a state that elects a representative to the House of Representatives, created by the state legislature

Gerrymandering – Intentionally drawing a congressional district to advantage one party over another

2/13/26 GOV Vitamin #19

Legislature – A government assembly of individuals with the authority to make laws

Legislation – Laws, legal acts that regulate society

Gridlock – A political stalemate that makes passing laws nearly impossible due to disagreement

2/10/26 GOV Vitamin #18

17th Amendment – Made senators elected directly by the voting public

19th Amendment – Gave women the right to vote (suffrage) nationally

25th Amendment – Provides procedures for removing a sitting President who is no longer fit for office

26th Amendment – Lowered the voting age from 21 to 18

2/9/26 GOV Vitamin #17

7th Amendment – Protects the right to trial by jury

9th Amendment – Protects rights of citizens not explicitly laid out in the Constitution

10th Amendment – All powers not specifically given to the federal government go to the states and the general public

13th Amendment – Abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States

14th Amendment – Provides citizenship rights to all people born in the United States and equal protection for all under the law 

2/6/26 GOV Vitamin #16

Plurality – Receiving the most votes of any option without receiving a majority

Majority – Receiving more than half of all votes

Supermajority – Receiving much more than a majority, usually two-thirds of all votes

2/5/26 GOV Vitamin #15

Commerce Clause – Congress has the power to regulate trade between states and with foreign countries

Full Faith and Credit Clause – States must respect the laws and court decisions of other states

Supremacy Clause – Federal law overrides any conflicting state law

2/4/26 GOV Vitamin #14

Legislative Branch – The branch of government responsible for making laws through the Senate and the House of Representatives

Executive Branch – The branch of government responsible for executing (enforcing) the law through the White House and federal agencies

Judicial Branch – The branch of government responsible for settling legal disputes and interpreting the law through the courts

2/3/26 GOV Vitamin #13

Federalism – The separation and sharing of power between a national government and lower state and local governments

Dual Federalism – A system with clearly defined powers for national and state governments that do not overlap (no sharing)

Cooperative Federalism – A system in which national and state governments cooperate and share some governmental powers

2/2/26 GOV Vitamin #12

1st Amendment – Protects freedoms surrounding speech and religion

2nd Amendment – Protects the right to bear arms (weapons)

4th Amendment – Protects against unreasonable searches and seizures of property

5th Amendment – Protects the right to due process (fairness) in the legal system

1/30/26 GOV Vitamin #11

Bill of Rights – The first ten amendments of the Constitution which are intended to protect the fundamental rights of American citizens

Amendment – An addition or alteration to the United States Constitution

Unconstitutional –  An action or law that is not allowed by the Constitution

1/29/26 GOV Vitamin #10

The Constitution – The written document that established and guides the government of the United States

Constitutional Convention – A meeting of important political figures in 1787 to negotiate and create the Constitution of the United States

James Madison – 4th U.S. President, Founding Father, and primary author of the Constitution

1/21/26 GOV Vitamin #9

Federalism – Power is shared between federal and state levels of government

Republicanism – The population chooses individuals to represent them in government

Individual Rights – Fundamental rights to which every citizen is entitled, such as the rights in the Bill of Rights

1/20/26 GOV Vitamin #8

Popular Sovereignty – The "people"/population provide power to the government

Limited Government – Government institutions are restricted in their authority and actions

Separations of Powers – Power and authority are spread among different people and institutions in government

Checks and Balances – Separated powers within the government have the power to challenge or "check" one another to maintain a balance of power

1/15/26 GOV Vitamin #7

Sovereignty – The authority of a state to govern itself

Confederation –  A political union of sovereign states united for taking common action

Federation – A group of states with a superior central government but independence in internal affairs

Federal Government – The central government of a state above the separate units making up a federation

1/14/26 GOV Vitamin #6

Constitution – A set of principles and precedents that determine how a government is operated

Magna Carta – The first written document with the principle that the king and his government are not above the law

Articles of Confederation – The first constitution of the United States which established a decentralized “league of friendship” between the 13 states

1/13/26 GOV Vitamin #5

What do you consider to be “the people”? Who were “the people” in 1776? Explain any difference between these two.

How does social contract theory and “the will of the people” continue to influence our politics today?

1/12/26 GOV Vitamin #4

Primary Source – Original documents and objects from a historical period

Secondary Source – A source which discusses information originally from other sources

Thomas Jefferson – 3rd US President, founding father, and author of the Declaration of Independence

Revolution – A forcible overthrow of a government or social order, in favor of a new system

1/9/26 GOV Vitamin #3

Social Contract Theory – The consent of the governed is what gives a government the right to rule

Precedent – A court decision that is considered an authority for deciding future cases that are similar or identical

Common Law –A body of law created through precedent set by judges

Rule of Law – All citizens, institutions, and government officials are accountable to the same laws

1/8/26 GOV Vitamin #2

Democratic Republic – A form of government where citizens elect individuals to represent them in government

Election – A formal vote selecting an individual for political office

Civil Strife – Circumstances in which law enforcement struggles to maintain public order or tranquility

Civil War – A war between citizens of the same country

1/7/26 GOV Vitamin #1

Government – An institution which organizes and regulates a community through the law

Law – A system of rules recognized as legitimately regulating and punishing the actions of individuals

Politics – Activities associated with governance, usually aimed at gaining power within a government system