Action Kit

egalitarian — A political philosophy closely associated with that 'All Men are Created Equal' jazz; broadly, a belief that equality extends to all human beings regardless of man-made boundaries.

Electoral College — Meets every four years to cast votes for President and Vice President of the U.S.; state political parties choose electors who then vote in the Electoral College based on the popular vote from the states; the number of electors for each state is the number of national representatives plus senators; there is debate about whether this system is still relevant and/or if we should use fancy Internet technology to change to direct voting. (U.S.'s Electoral College Web site)

environmentalism — A generic term for describing groups that deal with environmental issues, including preservation, deforestation and global industrialization; notably, one of the explicitly stated values of the Green Party.

evolution — The scientific explanation of genetic changes and adaptations over time; in politics, it is almost exclusively human evolution that is a point of contention; few people involved in evolutionary debates have studied modern theories - even fewer have read Charles Darwin's 'The Origin of Species,' which really is the basis of the issue. (The Origin of Species full text )

executive branch — Both the national and state governments have one; consists of the President or the Governor and the subordinate staff associated with that position; broadly, this branch is supposed to 'execute' laws and policies; of late, the executive branch tends to overshadow the other branches, creating policy as well as executing it, see judicial branch, legislative branch.