Legislative glossary
Log-rolling
Definition
Vote-trading. 'Vote yes on mine and I'll vote yes on yours.' Informal but constant. Most bills move on these unwritten exchanges.
Why it matters
Log-rolling is the quiet economy of every legislature: support traded for support, across bills and across time. It's how members with nothing in common pass each other's priorities, and it runs on memory: favors are ledgered, and a broken promise costs more than a no ever did. Reformers call it corrupt; members call it how anything gets done.
In the game
Swing legislators in The Bill to Law Game keep score. Votes are bought with provisions, amendments, and promises, and the game remembers what you owe.
Related terms
Comes up alongside