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Glossary of Government Chapter 1

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democracy
a form of government in which citizens share power
republic
citizens elect leaders to govern them rather than choosing policies themselves
constituency
those legally entitled to vote for a public office
checks and balances
limits that one branch of government that imposes programmatic restrictions on the use of funds
popular model of democracy
elections play a critical role; because they are the mechanisms for instructing officials about public views, hoever it causes too much participation which produces a lot of talk and little action
responsible model of democracy
elected officials choose policies but must answer to the people afterward
primary election
each party chooses a nominee who then squares off against the other parties' nominees in the general election
general election
which selects the officeholder
nonpartisan elections
where candidates do not run with party labels, also sometimes have primary elections to narrow the field of candidates
recall election
in which dissatisfied citizens try to remove sitting officials during their terms
direct democracy
system in which ordinary people make all the laws themselves; two forms: initatives and referenda
initatives
proposed laws or constitutional amendments placed on the ballot by citizen petition
referenda
laws or state constitutional amendments proposedy by a legislative body that require voter approval before going into effect
permanent campaign
term describing the tendency for election campaigns to begin as soon as the last election has ended and for the line between electionnering and governing to disappear

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