Minority Participation Glossary

 

Bill of Rights: The first 10 amendments of the U.S. Constitution. These ten amendments protect the individual liberties of Americans.

 

citizen: A member of a political society who owes allegiance to the government. Citizens are entitled to rights and protections from their government.

 

civil disobedience: The open, deliberate, nonviolent breaking of a law. When citizens resort to civil disobedience, it is usually because they believe a law is not valid because it was not created in a democratic way.

 

civic participation: The act of becoming involved in the political process — staying informed, voting, staying in touch with elected representatives, and working to better the community.

 

Congress: The legislative branch of the Federal Government. Congress consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

 

constituents: A group of citizens represented by an elected official and living in his or her specific district or state.
Today, a congressman/woman has an average of 650,000 constituents. A Senator represents an entire state, and the number of constituents varies widely by state. A California Senator, for example, has over 35 million constituents, while a Senator from Wyoming has only about 499,000.

 

district: The specific geographical area within a state represented by a House member. Congressional districts are drawn so that each has an average of about 650,000 citizens. States with small populations may have only one district (for example, Alaska) while a large state like California has 53 districts.

 

election: During an election people vote for the candidate they want to become an elected official, or for submitted propositions.

 

government: Different nations have different kinds of governments but all governments have some system of leadership and laws. Governments make, enforce, and interpret laws. Governments also look out for the general welfare of the people and manage conflicts.

 

interest group: A group of individuals who share some common goals and try to influence public policy to meet these goals. Also called "special interest group."

 

legislator: An elected official who serves in the legislative branch of his/her state government [the state legislature], or in the legislative branch of the federal government [the U.S. Congress]. Legislators represent an assigned group of citizens in the legislature, and help make laws for the state or for the nation.

 

public policy: A decision or action of government that addresses problems and issues. Some policies are passed into laws, and some policies are contained in rules and regulations.

 

representative democracy: In a representative democracy, citizens choose a small number of people to represent their interests and negotiate differences on their behalf.

 

vote: To formally show support for a proposal, measure, or candidate for office.

 

voter registration: An official act of registering one's name in the list of qualified voters.