CONSTITUENT

A person who is represented politically by a designated government official or officeholder, especially when the official is one that the person represented has the opportunity to participate in selecting through voting or perhaps through other methods of indicating political confidence and support. A Senator's constituency consists of the citizenry who reside within his or her state. The constituency of a Member of the House of Representatives consists of the people who live in his or her district. The constituency of a mayor is all the people residing in the city limits. Although the core meaning of the term has to do with the relationship between the voters and their elected representatives, the term is often expanded somewhat to include other individuals or groups whose interests any official in government (whether elected or not) feels morally obligated (or compelled by the political realities of the situation) to protect or further in the policy-making process. In this extended sense of the term, farmers constitute an important "constituency" for the Secretary of Agriculture, labor unions are an important "constituency" for the Secretary of Labor, small businessmen are an important "constituency" for the head of the Small Business Administration, and veterans organizations are an important "constituency" for the head of the Veteran's Administration.