Campaigns and Elections Vocabulary

Key Concepts and Terms

Gerrymander

Manipulate the boundaries of an electoral district to favor one party or class

Redistricting

Process of drawing electoral district boundaries

Caucus

Local gathering where voters publically decide which candidate to support

Primary

Statewide voting process where voters cast secret ballots for their preferred candidate

Delegate

An elected representative sent to represent others

(National) Convention

Formal gathering to select the party's nominee for President

Blue State

States carried by the Democrats in most presidential elections

Red State

States carried by the Republicans in most presidential elections

Incumbent

Person currently holding the public office

Party Platform

Formal set of principal goals which are supported by a political party or individual candidate

Swing State

State where both Democratic and Republican candidates receive strong support without an overwhelming majority of support for either party

Public Opinion

Views of the general public

Opinion Poll

Survey of questions designed to elicit the opinions of a population

Propaganda

Techniques used to sway the opinions of an audience

Mudslinging

Use of insults and accusations with the aim of damaging the reputation of an opponent

Soft Money

A contribution to a political party that is not accounted for and unregulated

Hard Money

A contribution to a political party that is limited and regulated

Political Action Committee

An organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaign for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation

Super PAC

An organization that collects and can spend unlimited amounts of money on behalf of a candidate, party, ballot initiative, or legislation

constituents

The people of an area who are represented by a public politician

Rank Choice Voting

Is a method of voting allowing voters to rank multiple candidates in order of preference

Electoral College

A group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president

Winner-take-all system

An electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who come in first

Incumbent

The current officeholder