Terms

Bill - Proposed law introduced in either the House or Senate. Bill originating in house is designated by letters "H.R." followed by numbers, and Senate is "S" with numbers.

Caucus - Gatherings of politlcal supporters to discuss and vote for candidates, usually with fewer participants. EX: Iowa. Related but distinct from primaries.

Convention - Gatherings where parties officially select a nominee for president.

Delegate - Representatives at a party's convention who vote at the state level. Democrats award them proportionally (if a candidate gets 30% of the votes at a convention, they get 30% of the delegates). Republicans award it differently between states. In 2012 the GOP awarded delegates proportionally in the Congressional districts in a lot of states.

Earmark - Government money set aside for specific projects, and sometimes exemptions from taxes or fees for specific projects. Earmarks are often attached to bills by lawmakers looking for money to bring back to their home state/district. Also known as "pork."

Electoral college - System of presidential election established in the Constitution. Instead of simply deciding the race off of who gets the most votes nation-wide, the electoral college assigns electors to each state based on population. Those electors vote on behalf of the people, generally uniformly towards whoever wins the popular vote in the state. This was constructed so that candidates would spend time campaigning in a number of states and communities (and, theoretically, catering to a wide variety of needs), instead of simply trying to win over large population centers.

Neo-conservative - New wave of conservatives who are interested in conserving "moral values" (pro-life, anti-stem cell, prayer, etc.) over traditional conservative values.

Primary - Gatherings where supporters gather to cast ballots to select a candidate.

Super PAC - Political committee that can accept unlimited amounts of money in support of a candidate, as long as it doesn't coordinate efforts with candidates or parties. This is different than the $2500 limit people can donate to campaigns. 2010 Supreme Court case Citizens United v Federal Election Commission determined that money is free speech, and made it legal for corporations to donate.