Political Party Test (History)
What is the total number of electoral votes?
538
How many electoral votes does Alabama have?
9
Majority Whip Role in Senate
Assist the floor leader, ensure member attendance, count votes, and generally communicate the majority position
Minority Whip Role (House)
Assist the minority leader on the floor, count votes and ensure attendance of minority party members
Minority Whip Role in Senate
Assist the minority leader on the floor, count votes, and ensure attendance of minority party members.
Minority Leader Role in Senate
Developing the minority position, negotiating with the majority party, directing minority caucus activities on the chamber floor, and leading debate for the minority.
Who is the Majority Whip in the Senate? What party does he/she represent?
Dick Durbin. Democratic Party
Who is the Minority Whip in the Senate? What party does he/she represent?
John Thune. Republican Party
Who is the President of the Senate? What party does he/she represent?
Kamala Harris. Democratic Party
Who is the Minority Leader in the House? What party does he/she represent?
Kevin McCarthy. Republican Party
President of the Senate Role
Role given to the Vice President dent. Presides over the Senate, signs legislation, and issues the oath of office to new Senators, cannot take part in debates and votes and only votes to break a tie.
Majority Leader Role in the Senate
Schedules business on the floor by calling bills from the calendar and keeps members of his or her caucus advised about the daily legislative program.
What are the President's three options when a bill reaches his/her desk?
Sign, refuse to sign, or do nothing
Who refers a bill to a committee in the House of Representatives? Which party does this politician belong to?
Speaker of the House Democrat
Complete the House leadership flowchart (position not person)
Speaker of the House, Majority Leader, Minority Leader, Majority Whip, Minority Whip
Minority Leader Role (House)
Speaks for the party and its policies, protecting and nominating minority party members to committees
List the steps in the bill to law process.
1. The Bill Begins as an idea 2. The Bill is Proposed (the representative writes the bill and gets a sponsor and support of the bill) 3. The Bill is Introduced (it is placed in a hopper - a special box on the side of the clerk's desk. The clerk assigns it an H.R. number and reads it to the Representatives and Speaker of the House) If it is passed 4. The Bill Goes to Committee (the committee members, groups of Representatives, review, research, and revise the bill before voting or sending it back to the House floor. It is assigned to a subcommittee if the House wants more info before they decide to send the bill to the House floor.) 5. The Bill is Reported (when the committee approves the bill, it is sent/reported to the House floor) 6. The Bill is Debated (the Representatives discuss and explain why they agree or disagree with the bill. The clerk reads the bill and recommends changes. When all changes have been made, the bill is ready to be voted on) If it is passed 7. The Bill is Voted On (methods of voting: Viva Voce: voice voting aye or no, Division: House Speaker asks members who voted aye or no to stand up at different times to be counted, Recorded: record their vote using the electronic voting system by voting yes, no, or present (when they don't want to vote) 8. The Bill is Referred to the Senate (it goes through almost the same steps in the House, then the Senate voice their votes with yea or nay; if more yea's, it passes and sent to the President) 9. The Bill is Sent to the President (he signs and pass the bill, refuse to sign or veto the bill, or do nothing and pocket veto the bill which if the Congress is in session it automatically becomes law after 10 days if Congress is not in session the bill does not become law) 10. The Bill is Law (If a bill has passed in both the House and the Senate and has been approved by the President, or if a presidential veto has been overridden, the bill becomes a law and is enforced by the government).
How many electoral votes are required to win the Presidency?
270
What is a filibuster? Which chamber is allowed to use it?
A term of action to hold up the vote, used in the senate, where a person gets recognized by the chair and continues to talk. The Senate
How are the number of electoral votes calculated?
Add the number of senators to the number of members in the house (equals the number of its members in the U.S. Congress (senators and representatives)).
Speaker of the House Role
Administering the oath of office to the members of the House of Representatives, gives members permission to speak on the House floor, and counts and declares all votes
Majority Whip Role (House)
Assist the floor leader, ensure member attendance, count votes and generally communicate the majority position
What is the role of electors?
Cast a vote to elect the president and vice president every 4 years
Who is the Majority Leader in the Senate? What party does he/she represent?
Charles "Chuck" Schumer. Democratic Party
Where does a bill go after it is introduced, but before it is voted on?
Committee
President Pro Tempore Role in the Senate
Fills in for the President of the Senate in their absence. An elected member of the Senate who can speak and vote on issues.
Majority Leader Role (House)
Helps plan the legislative agenda for the House and schedules legislative business
How can a bill still become a law if the President vetoes it?
If two-thirds of both Houses, Representative and Senate, vote to support the bill
What happens to a bill when the House and Senate pass similar, yet different, versions of a bill?
It is sent to the president
What occurs when a committee never acts on a bill?
It will be sent to a subcommittee
Who is the Majority Whip Leader in the House? What party does he/she represent?
James "Jim" Clyburn. Democratic Party
Who is the Minority Leader in the Senate? What party does he/she represent?
Mitch McConnell. Republican Party
Who is the Speaker of the House? What party does he/she represent?
Nancy Pelosi. Democratic Party
Is a bill officially dead if the president decides to veto it? Explain your answer.
No, because if the House of Representatives and the Senate still believe the bill should become a law, they can hold another vote on the bill. If two-thirds of the Representatives and Senators support the bill, the President's veto is overridden and the bill becomes a law.
Who is the President Pro Tempore in the Senate? What party does he/she represent?
Patrick Leahy. Democratic Party
Complete the Senate leadership flowchart (position not person)
President of the Senate, President Pro Tempore, Majority Leader, Minority Leader, Majority Whip, Minority Whip
List one pro and one con for the electoral college.
Pros: the system requires a distribution of popular support (not just sufficient support) and thus contributes to national unity, Enhancement/protection of minority interests, Encourages a two-party system and thus national stability within the government; Maintains a federal system (gives the states a role) Cons: The popular vote winner may lose the presidency, Electors may vote for persons other than their party's presidential and vice presidential candidates, If no candidate receives a majority, Congress will pick the president and vice president.
Who is the Majority Leader in the House? What party does he/she represent?
Steny Hoyer. Democratic Party
Who is the Minority Whip Leader in the House? What party does he/she represent?
Steve Scalise. Republican Party
Who is the leader of the Senate? (position not person!!)
The Lieutenant Governor
Who is the leader of the House of Representatives? (position not person!!)
The Speaker of the House
Critical Thinking: Considering what you have learned about the bill-to-law process, why do you think it is so rare that a bill makes it all the way through Congress and the President to become a law?
There are a lot of steps to take for a bill to become law. The process is long and complicated. If there are a lot of no's, the bill will fail or be delayed.
What is a faithless elector?
an individual in the Electoral College who decides not to vote for their own registered party's candidate.
What is the purpose of a party whip?
elected to encourage fellow party members to vote as the party leadership wants
Who can introduce legislation?
only members of congress