Campaign Glossary

New to this? Everyone was once.

Battleground State - Also known as a swing or purple state these states have a fairly divided electorate and thus will be heavily contested in a presidential campaign. Often volunteers from other states flock to battleground states to make their impact.
Blue Donkeys - Blue is the color of the Democratic Party and the donkey is the party symbol.
Canvassing - the process of systematically initiating direct contact with potential voters.
Caucus - A group of citizens, organized by a political party, that gather locally to discuss the candidates and vote on which candidate will move forward to the general election.
Communications Director - The campaign staff member responsible for media messaging, publicity opportunities, and maintaining the campaign's public image.
Constituency - The body of voters represented by a particular candidate.
Convention - A multi-day event held by each party sometime in the early summer. The parties typically introduce their policy platform, finalize selection of their general election candidate, and often announce the vice-presidential candidate.
Delegates - Party activists or general citizens, chosen to determine the official nominees for president. According to varied state and party rules candidates win delegates in their primary or caucus; these delegates will vote at their party's national convention.
Democratic Party - One of the two major political parties in the U.S., this party tends to "lean left," and generally supports a liberal policy platform.
Direct Mail - Good, old-fashioned, mailings used for both political messaging and fundraising remain remarkably effective and are a part of most campaigns.
Down ballot - Offices and candidates that are local or state level as related to the federal election contests.
Electoral College - An election process named for the 538 electors who technically elect the president and vice-president. Electors are selected to represent the votes of their home state. In order to win the election, 270 Electoral College votes are required.
Field Organizer - Campaign staffer (or volunteer) who recruits and manages volunteers.
General Election - This election between victors of the primary election is held at the local, state and national level. Every four years the general election includes the presidential election. The general election is held on the first Tuesday, following the first Monday, of November.
GOTV - Get Out the Vote - A widely used phrase and acronym describing deliberate efforts to increase voter participation and turnout on election day.
Green Party - A political party based on grassroots activism. The Green Party stands for environmentalism, social justice, and non-violence, and is the fourth largest of the political parties in the U.S.
Incumbent - Currently holding office.
Independent voter - Often referred to as unaffiliated or swing voters, these voters cast their votes based on issues or a particular candidate as opposed to the ideology of a political party.
Libertarian - A political party opposed to government interference in personal and business matters. The Libertarian Party is the third largest political party in the U.S.
Local Election - The selection of local officials chosen by a local constituency, such as State Representative, District Councilor, Mayor, County Treasurer, etc.
Platform - Acollection of goals supported by a political party and/or a candidate.
Precinct - Towns or cities are often divided into precincts for the purpose of voter registration - each precinct hosts one voting location.
Primary Election - The selection process for a general election party candidate. The dates for these vary from state to state, and sometimes from office to office.
Red Elephants - Red is the color of the Republican Party and the elephant is the party symbol.
Register - The process of enrollment and meeting the requirements to vote in an election.
Republican Party - The "right-leaning" counterpart to the Democratic Party, this party is known for its conservative agenda.
State Election - The selection of officials chosen by the entire state such as Governor, Attorney General, Senator in Congress, Representative in Congress, etc.
Supporter Housing - Think of this as a homestay experience that is sometimes available for paid staff, interns, and/or volunteers. Generally this is in the home of another volunteer or campaign supporter and is useful for those volunteering on a campaign away from their own home area.
Swing state - see battleground state
Super Tuesday - A Tuesday in February or March when the presidential campaign calendar holds the largest number of state primary elections at one time.