Essential Election Season Vocabulary: One Nation, Under Vocabulary: Political Parlance

Governing a country is a big, complex undertaking, and the American system has a lot of different parts and positions. This list will give you the terminology you need to understand political news stories and become an informed citizen. Pledge allegiance to vocabulary!
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. bipartisan
    supported by both sides
    The commission is required by law to be bipartisan and to represent a diversity of backgrounds. The Guardian (Sep 17, 2020)
  2. coalition
    the union of diverse things into one body or form or group
    The initiative is part of a draft bill proposed by the left-wing coalition government, and dubbed “Democratic Memory Law”, which would be submitted to parliament in a few months. Reuters (Sep 15, 2020)
    From the same Latin verb coalescere that gave us coalesce, coalition literally means "a coming together."
  3. executive branch
    part of U.S. government responsible for carrying out laws
    But how does this empower an executive branch agency to overturn state laws governing contracts? Washington Post (Sep 10, 2020)
  4. gerrymander
    divide voting districts unfairly and to one's advantage
    “For an unlawfully-formed legislature, crafted from unconstitutional gerrymandering, to attempt to do so is an affront to the principles of democracy which elevate our state and our nation,” Young wrote. Seattle Times (Sep 15, 2020)
    When Elbridge Gerry was governor of Massachusetts, the Democratic Legislature changed the shapes of districts to increase their representation in the State House. One district looked like a salamander, which one lawmaker called a gerrymander, and the name stuck, referring to district maps drawn specifically to give disproportionate representation to one party.
  5. gubernatorial
    relating to the head of a state government
    Gillum was an upset winner of the Democratic gubernatorial primary in 2018 and was the first African American to be nominated for the office by the two major parties. Washington Times (Sep 14, 2020)
    Gubernator is Latin for "pilot," "director," or "controller." It's the root of our word government and also governor.
  6. inauguration
    the ceremonial induction into a position
    Soon after Trump’s inauguration — when the new president described a nation McDonough thought was great as strewn with carnage — she changed her party registration to Democrat and doubts she will ever change it back. Washington Post (Sep 12, 2020)
  7. judiciary
    the system of law courts that administer justice
    It also directed the judiciary to defer to elected officials on urgent matters of public health. Slate (Sep 15, 2020)
    Iudex is Latin for "judge."
  8. majority
    more than half of the votes in an election
    "And yet, the Senate majority continues to prioritize confirming judges for lifetime appointments — many with hostile records on reproductive and civil rights, including abortion." Salon (Sep 17, 2020)
  9. minority
    a group of people who differ from a larger group
    He’s indicated that his preference would be at least to attempt to work with a Republican minority before making such a fundamental shift in Capitol Hill traditions. Washington Times (Sep 17, 2020)
  10. nonpartisan
    free from party affiliation or bias
    Every voter in these counties should vote “yes” when asked on their ballot: “Should the Wisconsin Legislature create a nonpartisan procedure for the preparation of legislative and congressional district plans and maps?” Washington Times (Sep 17, 2020)
    Where bipartisan, above, means something that both parties agree on, nonpartisan refers to a group or institution that is not affiliated with any political party.
  11. platform
    a document stating the principles of a political party
    Scott Stringer, the city comptroller who is running for mayor on a platform of “bringing leadership back to City Hall,” called Mr. de Blasio’s furloughs “a lazy substitute for real work.” New York Times (Sep 16, 2020)
  12. politics
    the activities involved in managing a state or a government
    It’s remarkable that Barr compared his own subordinates to preschoolers after he tried to unwind a prosecution meant to be insulated from DOJ politics. Slate (Sep 17, 2020)
    Polis means "city" or "state" in Greek — you can see it in Indianapolis, for example — and politikos means "of the state," "of the citizens," or "civic."
Created on Tue Sep 08 13:32:20 EDT 2020 (updated Fri Oct 16 12:59:42 EDT 2020)

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