Whip (political)

A whip, in a political context, is an official of a political party or caucus charged with organizing voting and maximizing the vote for his or her organization. As opposed to lobbyists or legislative staff, whips are voting members of the organization.

In modern legislatures, there are normally whip teams, with a chief and a number of deputies.

The whip team typically issues a written guide to votes and schedules, called the The Whip (circular) in the UK Parliament, or the Whip Pack in the U.S. Congress.