Handbook · GlossaryGlossary of civic terms
167 terms, defined in plain language. Each entry says what the word means, why it matters, and where you will meet it.
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29CanvassA canvass is the official process of accounting for every ballot cast and reconciling tallies to confirm vote totals before certification.CaseworkCasework is the process by which a legislative office resolves an individual constituent's problem with a government agency on their behalf.CBO scoreA CBO score is the Congressional Budget Office's nonpartisan estimate of how a bill would change federal spending, revenue, or the deficit.CertificationCertification is the official act of confirming canvassed election results as final and accurate, usually a non-discretionary duty on a set deadline.CharterA charter is a city or county's foundational governing document that sets up its government structure and defines local officials' powers.Citizen legislatureA citizen legislature is one where members serve part-time for low pay, hold outside jobs, and rely on small staffs during short sessions.Civil grand juryA civil grand jury is a body of ordinary citizens convened annually in California to investigate local government agencies and recommend reforms.ClemencyClemency is a governor's or president's power to pardon, commute, or reprieve a criminal sentence, cutting short or erasing punishment a court imposed.Closed primaryA closed primary limits voting to a party's registered members, excluding independents and other parties unless they re-register beforehand.ClotureCloture is the Senate procedure for ending debate on a bill or nomination, usually requiring 60 votes even when passage needs only a majority.Committee chairA committee chair controls a legislative committee's agenda, deciding which bills get a hearing and a vote and which quietly die without one.Committee substituteA committee substitute is a full replacement of a bill's text offered by its reviewing committee while keeping the original bill number.Companion billA companion bill is a near-identical bill introduced in the opposite chamber at the same time so both chambers can consider it in parallel.Conditional use permitA conditional use permit allows a land use not automatically permitted in a zone, approved case by case if it meets specific conditions.Conduit contributionA conduit contribution passes through an intermediary to reach a candidate, and stays legal only if both the donor and conduit are disclosed.Conference committeeA conference committee is a temporary panel of House and Senate members who negotiate one compromise bill after each chamber passes different versions.Congressional Review ActThe Congressional Review Act lets Congress overturn a recent federal rule through a fast-tracked resolution that bypasses the Senate filibuster.Consent agendaA consent agenda groups routine, uncontroversial items into a single vote a council approves at once without individual discussion.Consent decreeA consent decree is a court-approved settlement where a party agrees to change its conduct under ongoing judicial oversight without admitting guilt.Constituent servicesConstituent services are the help a legislator's office gives residents, such as resolving agency problems or answering questions about a bill.Continuing resolutionA continuing resolution is a temporary law that funds federal agencies at existing levels when Congress misses its annual spending deadline.Cooling off periodA cooling-off period is the mandatory wait before a former government official may lobby their old colleagues, one year for House members.CoordinationCoordination is when a candidate or party works with an outside spender like a super PAC, turning that spending into a regulated in-kind contribution.Council managerCouncil-manager government is a structure where an elected council sets policy and a hired professional manager runs daily city operations.County commissionA county commission is the elected body that governs a county, combining legislative and executive roles like budgets and department oversight.Court of last resortA court of last resort is the highest court in a state's judicial system, usually called the state supreme court, whose rulings on state law are final.CrackingCracking is a redistricting technique that splits a group's voters across many districts so they are too few to swing any single outcome.Crossover deadlineA crossover deadline is the last day a bill can pass its chamber of origin and move to the other chamber to stay alive that session.Crossover votingCrossover voting happens when someone votes in a party primary other than the one they usually support, where open primary rules allow it.D
8Dark moneyDark money is political spending by nonprofits and shell entities that are not legally required to disclose who funded them.Dark pattern disclosureDark-pattern disclosure describes reporting tactics that follow campaign finance disclosure law's letter while hiding the true source of funds.Dillon's RuleDillon's Rule holds that local governments only have the powers a state explicitly grants, with any doubt resolved in the state's favor.Discharge petitionA discharge petition is a request signed by 218 House members to force a bill out of committee onto the floor, bypassing leadership's control.Discretionary spendingDiscretionary spending is federal money Congress must approve anew through annual appropriations bills, unlike mandatory spending, which runs on autopilot.DocketA docket is the complete public file for a federal rulemaking, holding the proposed rule, supporting data, public comments, and the final rule.Donor advised fundA donor-advised fund is a charitable account where a donor gets an immediate tax deduction and later directs grants to nonprofits, often anonymously.DownzoningDownzoning is a zoning change that reduces how much can be built on a property, such as shifting land from multifamily to single-family only.E
9EarmarkAn earmark is a provision in an appropriations bill that sets aside federal money for a specific project a member of Congress requests.Eminent domainEminent domain is the government's power to take private property for public use, such as roads or schools, in exchange for just compensation.EmolumentsEmoluments are gifts, payments, or titles the Constitution bars federal officeholders from accepting from foreign governments without Congress's consent.Engrossed vs. enrolledAn engrossed bill is one chamber's amended text after passage, while an enrolled bill is the final text both chambers sign and send to the executive.EngrossmentEngrossment is reprinting a bill to incorporate floor amendments, producing the official version a single chamber votes to pass.Enrolled billAn enrolled bill is the final identical version a legislature passed in both chambers, certified and sent to the governor or president for signature.Ex parte communicationAn ex parte communication is a private conversation between agency staff and an outside party about a pending rule, held off the public comment record.Executive orderAn executive order is a president's written directive to the executive branch that carries the force of law without needing Congress to pass anything.Executive sessionAn executive session is a closed-door portion of a public meeting allowed only for specific topics like lawsuits, personnel, or real estate deals.F
10FARAFARA is a 1938 law requiring anyone acting as an agent of a foreign government for political purposes in the US to publicly register with the DOJ.FilibusterA filibuster is extended Senate debate or procedural delay used to block a vote unless 60 senators agree to invoke cloture and end it.Filing deadlineA filing deadline is the last date a candidate can submit paperwork, fees, or petition signatures to appear on a primary or general election ballot.Final ruleA final rule is the completed, legally binding regulation an agency publishes in the Federal Register after reviewing public comments on its proposal.First readingA first reading formally introduces an ordinance to a council, typically without discussion, public comment, or a vote, ahead of a second reading.Fiscal noteA fiscal note is a nonpartisan written estimate of how much a bill will cost or raise for state and local government, prepared before a vote.Floor voteA floor vote is a vote by all members of a full legislative chamber, the step that actually passes a bill after committees have already acted on it.Foreign national banThe foreign national ban is a federal law barring non-citizens, foreign governments, and foreign corporations from contributing to any US election.Franchise agreementA franchise agreement is a contract letting a utility or cable company use public rights-of-way in exchange for fees and public-benefit conditions.Fusion votingFusion voting lets more than one party nominate the same candidate, with that candidate's votes combined across each party's ballot line.I
10Impact feeAn impact fee is a one-time charge a city or county imposes on new development to help pay for the roads, schools, or utilities growth requires.In kind contributionAn in-kind contribution is a non-monetary campaign gift, like free services or staff time, valued at market price and counted against contribution limits.Inaugural committeeAn inaugural committee is a nonprofit funding a president's inauguration that faces no federal contribution limits and may accept corporate money.Incumbency advantageIncumbency advantage is the electoral edge sitting officeholders hold over challengers from name recognition, fundraising, and favorable districts.Independent expenditureAn independent expenditure is spending that advocates for or against a candidate without coordinating with them, facing no contribution limit.Inspector generalAn inspector general leads an independent office inside a federal agency that audits and investigates fraud, waste, and mismanagement there.Intensity signalAn intensity signal is costly political action, like donating or organizing, revealing how strongly someone cares about an issue beyond a stated opinion.InterimThe interim is the period between legislative sessions when committees study issues, hold hearings, and draft proposals for the next session.Interlocal agreementAn interlocal agreement is a contract between local governments to jointly provide a service, like policing or utilities, instead of running it alone.Intermediate appellate courtAn intermediate appellate court reviews trial court decisions before a case can reach a state's court of last resort, filtering most appeals out along the way.P
15PackingPacking is a redistricting technique that crams a disfavored group of voters into as few districts as possible to neutralize their statewide influence.Parens patriaeParens patriae is the legal doctrine letting a state sue on behalf of its residents collectively, without each resident having to be a named plaintiff.Pay to playPay-to-play is an arrangement where a business makes political contributions to an official to win or keep a government contract or appointment.Petition signature requirementA petition signature requirement is the number of voter signatures a candidate or ballot measure must collect to qualify for the ballot.Planning commissionA planning commission is an appointed board that reviews zoning and development proposals and recommends action to the city council or county board.PluralityPlurality is a voting rule where the candidate with the most votes wins the election even without a majority of over 50 percent.Pocket vetoA pocket veto is when a president lets a bill die by not signing it within 10 days while Congress is adjourned, leaving no bill for Congress to override.PrecinctA precinct is the smallest geographic unit used to run elections, assigned its own polling place to keep voter counts and travel manageable.PreemptionPreemption is when a state legislature passes a law that overrides or blocks a city or county's authority to regulate a given issue.Preliminary injunctionA preliminary injunction is a court order pausing an action until a case is fully decided, granted only if the plaintiff clears a four-factor test.Professionalized legislatureA professionalized legislature meets nearly year-round, pays members a full-time salary, and employs large nonpartisan research and drafting staff.Proposed ruleA proposed rule is an agency's public draft of a new regulation, published for comment before it can be finalized into binding law.Provisional ballotA provisional ballot is a backup ballot cast when a voter's eligibility cannot be confirmed on the spot, counted only after officials verify it.Public hearing vs public commentA public hearing addresses one specific noticed action like a zoning change, while public comment is an open period at meetings for any topic.PurgeA purge is when election officials remove names from the voter roll to clear out deaths, duplicates, moves, or ineligible registrations.R
11Ramseyer RuleThe Ramseyer Rule requires House committee reports to show exactly how a bill changes existing law, using brackets for deletions and italics for additions.Ranking memberThe ranking member is the most senior member of the minority party on a congressional committee, that party's lead voice and point person on the panel.ReceivershipMunicipal receivership is when a state declares a city or school district in fiscal emergency and appoints an outside manager to take over its decisions.ReconciliationReconciliation is a fast-track process for passing budget-related legislation in the Senate with a simple majority, bypassing the filibuster.Redistricting commissionA redistricting commission is a body, instead of the state legislature, tasked with drawing electoral district lines.Regulatory captureRegulatory capture is when an agency created to police an industry in the public interest instead comes to serve that industry's own interests.ResolutionA resolution is a council's formal statement of position or one-time action, less formal than an ordinance and passable by simple majority.RevisorA revisor of statutes is a nonpartisan legislative office that drafts bills, edits legal language, and compiles a state's official statutes.Revolving doorThe revolving door is the recurring movement of people between government roles regulating an industry and private jobs working for that same industry.RiderA rider is a provision attached to a bill, often an appropriations bill, that is unrelated to the bill's main purpose.Roll call voteA roll call vote records each legislator's individual yea, nay, or present position as an official public record, unlike a voice vote.S
14Safe seatA safe seat is an electoral district where one party or incumbent wins so reliably that the general election outcome is not really in doubt.SalienceSalience is how prominent an issue is in the public's mind at a given moment, distinct from how many people hold an opinion on it.SessionA legislative session is the period when a state legislature is convened and authorized to meet, debate, and pass bills.Shell companyA shell company is a legal entity with no real operations, employees, or assets, used to hold money or property while hiding who controls it.Sine dieSine die is a legislature's final adjournment of a session with no date set to reconvene, after which unfinished bills typically die.Soft vs hard moneyHard money is regulated campaign cash given directly to candidates, while soft money was unlimited funds given to parties before a 2002 ban.Sore-loser lawA sore-loser law bars a candidate who lost a party's primary from then appearing on the general election ballot as an independent or other nominee.Special districtA special district is an independent local government unit created for one function, like fire or water service, with its own board and budget.StandingStanding is the constitutional requirement that a plaintiff show real, concrete injury before a federal court will hear their case at all.Straw donorA straw donor is a person who makes a political contribution in their own name using money secretly provided by someone else to hide its true source.Sunset reviewSunset review is a process where a state agency, board, or law automatically expires unless the legislature affirmatively votes to renew it.Sunshine lawA sunshine law, or open meetings act, requires most government meetings to be open to the public with advance notice and minutes.Super pacA super PAC is an independent expenditure-only committee that can raise and spend unlimited money but cannot give directly to candidates.Suspension of the rulesSuspension of the rules is a fast-track House procedure that limits debate, bars amendments, and requires a two-thirds vote to pass a bill quickly.