| A | B |
|---|
| initiative | a process in some states that allows citizens to propose and enact laws |
| referendum | a procedure that gives citizens the ability to accept or reject proposed legislation |
| recall | a procedure that allows citizens of an area to vote an elected official out of office before their term has expired |
| governor | the chief executive of a state government |
| jury pool | a group of people who are requested to appear in court and from which the actual jury may be selected |
| sales tax | a tax on the purchase of goods and services |
| sin tax | a tax on goods that government deems harmful or immoral |
| bond rating | a measure of the probability that a bond issuer will pay its obligation to investors |
| rural area | a region of low population density where people live on farms or in small towns |
| urban area | a region characterized by cities and other areas of high population density |
| suburb | a primarily residential area that is located near a city and whose residents largely depend on the city for jobs and other services |
| metropolitan area | a city of 50,000 people or more, its suburs, and surrounding areas |
| megalopolis | a densely populated area made up of two or more cities and their suburbs |
| township | a unit of local government that exists primarily in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states and shares functions with municipal governments |
| municipality | a city or town with its own government |
| mayor-council system | a system of local government in which the poser is shared by an elected chief executive and a seperately elected legislature |
| council-manager system | a system of local governemnt in which an elected city council appoints a professional to run the government's day-to-day affairs |
| city manager | someone hired to run the daily operations of a municipality |
| commission | a board that holds all legislative, executive, and administrative power in a municipality |
| special district | a unit of government, usually at the local level, that serves a very specific purpose and sometimes crosses existing political boundaries |
| property tax | government tax levied on the value of a person's home or business |
