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. If a legislator votes against party policy, they might "lose the whip", being effectively expelled from the party.

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

Whips exist in the legislatures of many countries, including the United States, Great Britain, and New Zealand.

References

Category:Government occupations