Whip (politics)

A whip (also called a party whip) is a legislator who acts as an "enforcer" for their political party. Their job is to make sure the other legislators in their party vote according to the official party policy.[1] If a legislator votes against party policy, they might "lose the whip", being effectively expelled from the party.[2]

A whip must also make sure that the elected representatives of their party are in attendance when important votes are taken.[1] The usage comes from the hunting term "whipping in", which means to stop hounds from wandering away from the pack.[3]

Whips exist in the legislatures of many countries, including the United States,[3] Great Britain,[4] and New Zealand.[5]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Whip | government | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  2. ↑ "What is removing the whip, filibustering and other Brexit jargon?". BBC. 2019-09-04. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "U.S. Senate: About Parties and Leadership | Party Whips". www.senate.gov. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  4. ↑ "Whips: UK Parliament". UK Parliament. 2024.
  5. ↑ "What is a party whip and what do they do?". New Zealand Parliament. November 11, 2020.