| A | B |
|---|
| electoral college | a group of people named by each state legislature to select the President and Vice President |
| elector | people appointed to vote in the presidents elections for the major candidates |
| executive order | a rule or command that has the force of a law |
| pardon | a declaration of forgiveness and freedom from punishment |
| reprieve | an order to delay a person's punishment until a higher court can hear the case |
| amnesty | to pardon a group of people |
| cabinet | a group of advisors to the president that includes the heads of 14 top-level executive departments |
| federal bureaucracy | the collective agencies and employees of the executive branch |
| independent agencies | federal board or commission that is not part of any cabinet department |
| government corporation | a business owned and operated by the federal government |
| political appointee | a person appointed to a federal position by the president |
| civil service worker | person hired into a federal position |
| civil service system | the practice of hiring government workers on the basis of open, competitive examinations and merit |
| Spoils system | rewarding people with government jobs on the basis of their political support |
| merit system | hiring people into government jobs on the basis of their qualifications |
