Democracy's Data

Rules

the legal and constitutional structures that govern elections (e.g., ballot access requirements, campaign finance laws, Electoral College rules)

Reality

contextual factors beyond a campaign's direct control (e.g., national economic performance, baseline partisanship, incumbent presidential approval)

Strategy

tactical decisions made by candidates and parties to navigate rules and reality (e.g., issue framing, ad placement, mobilization)

Choice

the ultimate decisions made by voters regarding whether to vote (turnout) and who to vote for (vote choice)

Free Choice

The standard that voters must have meaningful candidate options and information without coercion

Political Equality

The principle that every citizen has equal voting power and influence ("one person, one vote")

Deliberation

The expectation that campaigns foster substantive debate on public policy issues

Free Speech

The constitutional guarantee that citizens and candidates can express political views without government restriction

Single-Member District Plurality (SMDP

An electoral system where each geographic district elects a single representative, and the candidate who receives the most votes (a plurality) wins the seat.

Duverger's Law

The political science principle stating that single-member district plurality systems structurally favor a stable two-party system.

Winner-Take-All Rule

An electoral mechanism (used by 48 states and Washington, D.C. in the Electoral College) where the candidate who wins the state's popular vote receives all of that state's electors.

Australian Ballot

A secret ballot printed and distributed by the government listing all official candidates, protecting voters from intimidation or bribery.

Suffrage (Franchise)

The legal right to vote in public elections

15th Amendment

Prohibits denying the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude

19th Amendment

Grants women the right to vote

26th Amendment

Lowers the voting age to 18

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Landmark federal legislation enforcing the 15th Amendment and banning racial discrimination in voting practices (such as literacy tests)

Voter Registration & Voter ID Laws

State-level administrative requirements specifying registration deadlines, acceptable forms of identification, and methods for casting a ballot.

Reapportionment

The reallocation of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives among the states based on population shifts recorded in the decennial census.

Redistricting

The process of redrawing electoral district boundaries within a state following reapportionment

Gerrymandering

Designing electoral district boundaries to give an unfair strategic advantage to a specific political party (partisan gerrymandering) or racial group (racial gerrymandering).

One Person, One Vote" (Reynolds v. Sims)

The constitutional principle requiring legislative districts to be drawn with roughly equal population sizes

Ballot Access Requirements

State regulations—such as signature petition thresholds or filing fees—that candidates (especially third-party or independent candidates) must satisfy to appear on the ballot

King Caucus

The early 19th-century system where congressional party delegations met informally to nominate their party's presidential and vice-presidential candidates, bypassing rank-and-file voters

Party Machine

A centralized, disciplined political party organization that commanded voter support through material rewards (patronage, contracts, services) rather than ideological appeals.

Patronage (Spoils System)

The practice of awarding government jobs, contracts, and political favors to loyal party workers after winning an election

Direct Primary

An election in which registered voters select a political party's nominees for the general election, rather than party bosses making choices behind closed doors.

McGovern-Fraser Commission

A Democratic Party reform commission formed after the 1968 convention that established open primary elections and delegate selection rules, shifting nominating power directly to voters

Candidate-Centered Campaigns

Political campaigns where individual candidates build their own campaign organizations, raise their own funds, and craft their own strategies independently of party leaders

Civil Service Reform (Pendleton Act of 1883)

Federal legislation establishing merit-based hiring for government jobs, crippling the patronage system that sustained party machines.

Microtargeting

Using consumer demographic data and statistical modeling to identify narrow voter subgroups and deliver customized campaign messaging to them.

Super PACs (Independent Expenditure-Only Committees)

Political action committees resulting from the Supreme Court's Citizens United v. FEC (2010) decision that can raise and spend unlimited funds from corporations, unions, and individuals, provided they do not coordinate directly with candidate campaigns

Small-Dollar Online Fundraising

The strategy of raising high volumes of small individual contributions ($5-$200) over digital fundraising networks

Affective Polarization

The tendency of partisans to hold warm, favorable views of their own political party while harboring strong dislike, distrust, and animosity toward the opposing party.

Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA)

1970s federal legislation establishing contribution limits, financial disclosure mandates, public presidential matching funds, and the Federal Election Commission (FEC)

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA / McCain-Feingold)

2002 law that banned national political party "soft money" and restricted pre-election corporate/union electioneering ads.

Buckley v. Valeo (1976)

Supreme Court ruling establishing that spending money is protected speech under the First Amendment; permitted caps on individual contributions to candidates but struck down limits on candidates spending their own personal money.

Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

Landmark Supreme Court decision ruling that independent political expenditures by corporations and unions cannot be restricted under the First Amendment

Hard Money

Regulated political contributions given directly to a candidate's campaign, subject to strict legal caps and FEC reporting.

Soft Money

Unregulated money contributed to political parties or outside groups for general "party-building" activities and issue advocacy rather than direct candidate support

Political Action Committee (PAC)

An organization formed by corporations, labor unions, or interest groups to collect voluntary contributions and donate directly to candidate campaigns

Dark Money (501(c)(4) Social Welfare Groups

Non-profit organizations that can spend money on political campaigns without disclosing the names of their donors to the public.

Campaign Strategy

The overarching plan for how a candidate intends to allocate limited resources (time, money, staff) to secure an electoral victory

Campaign Message

The core narrative explaining why the candidate is running, what they stand for, and why voters should choose them over their opponent

Opposition Research

The systematic collection and analysis of information about an opponent's public record, voting history, personal background, or past statements to identify vulnerabilities

Agenda Setting & Issue Framing

Strategic efforts to highlight specific issues that favor the candidate while defining how those issues should be interpreted by voters.

Campaign Manager

The top administrative official responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations, staff, budget, and overall execution of campaign strategy

Political Consultants

Specialized professionals (such as pollsters, media advisors, digital strategists, and direct-mail experts) hired to advise campaigns on specific tactical areas.

Ground Game (Field Operations)

Direct, face-to-face voter contact efforts—including door-to-door canvassing, phone banking, and Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) drives.

Air Game

Broadcast and digital communications strategies—such as television, radio, and online video advertising—designed to reach a mass audience

Voter File

A comprehensive state or commercial database containing information on registered voters, including geographic location, voting history, party registration, and contact details.

Targeting

The process of identifying specific geographic areas or demographic voter groups that are most crucial for persuasion or turnout.

Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV)

Late-stage campaign operations specifically aimed at mobilizing registered supporters to ensure they actually cast their ballots.