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527 committees

groups not tied to any political party that can raise and spend unlimited funds to support or oppose candidates; formed under section 527 of the tax code

absentee ballot

a mail-in ballot that voters can use to vote instead of going to a polling place

battleground states

states where the presidential vote is likely to be close; candidates often focus on these states in the hope of picking up key electoral votes

blanket primary

a primary election in which voters can choose one candidate for each office from any party’s primary list

caucus

a meeting of party members to choose party officials or nominees for elective office

closed primary

a primary election in which voting is restricted to party members

coattail effect

the influence that a popular politician may have on voters, making them more likely to choose other candidates from his or her party

exploratory committee

a group of advisors who evaluate a potential candidate’s chances of getting elected before launching a campaign

general election

an election in which voters choose among candidates from different parties to fill an elective office

incumbent

a public official seeking reelection to the position he or she currently occupies

issue ad

a political advertisement funded and produced by an interest group rather than by an election campaign

microtargeting

an approach to campaigning that uses databases to identify specific groups of voters who can then be targeted with campaign messages designed to appeal to their interests

midterm election

an election held in the even-numbered years between presidential elections

nonpartisan primary

a primary election in which political parties do not play a role, such as a local school board election

off year election

an election held in odd-numbered years

open primary

a primary election in which voters can choose which party primary they vote in on Election Day regardless of their party affiliation; also known as a pick-a-party primary

party base

political activists who embrace the core values of their party and are more likely to vote in primary elections than are centrist voters

plurality

the largest number of votes in an election; in elections with more than two candidates, the winner by a plurality may receive fewer than 50 percent of the votes cast

poll watcher

a volunteer who monitors the voting process at the polling place

polling place

the location in each precinct where voters cast ballots

presidential election

an election held every four years on even-numbered years

primary election

an election in which voters determine their party’s nominee for an elective office

proportional representation

an electoral system common to parliamentary democracies in which citizens vote more for parties than for individual candidates; a party wins seats in parliament based on its proportion of the popular vote

retail politics

an approach to campaigning based on direct contact with voters

self announcement

the action of announcing one’s candidacy for public office

soft money

unregulated money donated to a political party for such purposes as voter education

stump speech

a candidate’s “standard” speech, which is repeated throughout his or her campaign

suffrage

the right to vote

swing voter

an independent voter who does not have a strong party affiliation

term limits

a restriction on the number of terms an elected official may serve in a given office

voter registration

the process of signing up to vote

voter turnout

the proportion of the voting-age population that actually votes

war chest

funds collected by a candidate to spend on a political campaign

wholesale politics

an approach to campaigning that targets large numbers of voters through direct-mail or media campaigns

winner take all system

an electoral system that awards offices to the highest vote-getters without ensuring representation for voters in the minority; under this system, a slim majority of voters can control 100 percent of elected offices