Political Campaign Glossary: Election Management Campaign Terms
Political Campaign Glossary: The people hear many political words, phrases, terms, and jargon, and they do not understand around 80% of those. Let us try to understand some of them.
Staying up to date on a campaign dictionary can be very intimidating. Use the following election terminology to keep up with the trend.
Political Campaign Glossary
Base vote:
These voters support a specific party in any condition and always give their vote to the particular party.
Benchmark poll:
This poll is usually taken before a candidate announces their candidature to run for the elections. The benchmark poll helps the candidate get a fair idea about their standing among voters and their strengths and weaknesses.
Brushfire poll:
These polls are conducted between the tracking polls and the benchmark polls to determine the competitiveness of the elections. These polls offer an idea for building a campaign strategy.
Campaign manager:
Campaign managers are essential as they’re responsible for executing and managing the candidate and the campaign and are accountable for every aspect of the campaign.
Caucus:
A group of politically like-minded legislators belonging to the same political party is known as a caucus. They are often responsible for selecting the candidate within their party and backing up the same during an election.
Communications director:
Communications directors are important in managing the campaign’s interactions and maintaining relations with the media.
CPA:
CPA stands for “cost per acquisition” campaign, wherein both the traditional digital advertising and the people acting for the candidate and campaign are included.
CPC:
CPC stands for “Cost per click” advertising. These campaigns are great towards attracting visitors to the campaign page and tracking the ads exposure to them.
CPM:
CPM stands for “cost per thousand impressions.”
Democratic performance:
This performance refers to the average number of votes that candidates will receive in a specific constituency from which they are running for elections.
Dial test:
This is the kind of test where candidates are rated on the phone by the people according to their feelings.
Field organizer:
Field organizers oversee finding, training, and managing workers and volunteers involved in a campaign. They ensure that the field operations run smoothly, with the volunteers reaching the right voters.
Focus group:
Search groups provide insight regarding various strategies, messages, target plans, communication strategies, and mobilization of voters plans, which can work on actual people.
Fundraising direct mail:
Similar to political direct mail, fundraising direct mail intends to mobilize people to donate to the election campaign.
Media commission:
This is the commission charged by advertisers for providing services for election campaigns.
Persuasion:
Steering the undecided voters to becoming the decided voters for a particular political party is known as voter persuasion.
Political direct mail:
These emails are the most powerful and essential tools in an election campaign to target and persuade voters with a great message.
Primary:
Primaries or primary elections useful for determining and narrowing down the exact number of candidates which should run for directions. Thus, it helps decide the best candidate of the party and give an equal opportunity to the individual to run in the general elections.
SMS:
With the increasing use of mobile phones, SMS, better known as text messaging, can be a great tool for reaching the target voters.
Swing voter:
These voters are opposed to the base voters who will not remain loyal to any candidate or specific party. They make or break a voter’s goal during an election.
Targeting:
It consists of creating where groups are for effective communication with the people in that group to target them as potential voters.
Tracking Poll:
These are problematic polls undertaken at regular intervals to understand a particular trend or level of support for the candidate over some time.
Vote goal:
A vote goal is several votes or voters that the candidate must win the election.
Voter file:
These files are a list of registered voters accessible to the candidate for communication.
Voter ID:
A voter ID is the identification card of a voter the necessary details like name, address, contact number, etc. Also, every state may have a different policy on the presentation of a voter ID during elections.
With the above campaign terms for reference, some more political words and phrases are again used for an election campaign terms and can be an addition to the campaign dictionary. Learn them to use them accordingly.
Ballot:
It is a secret system of voting—vote by ballot.
Ballot paper:
It is a paper or a card that is marked by a person during voting.
Ballot box:
It is a special box wherein the voters deposit their marked ballot papers.
Bill:
It is a proposal or draft of the law yet to be discussed, amended, passed, or rejected.
Bipartisan:
Involvement of two political parties.
Campaign:
Activities that are planned in an organized manner for winning an election.
Coalition:
It is a union of two or more political parties that come together to form a government.
Constitution:
A book or statement of the fundamental laws and principles for any country or state’s governance.
Coup d’etat:
A change of government that is sudden or often violent. For example, the military is taking control of the country.
Democracy:
It is a form of government where people elect the candidate to form a government through elections.
Dictatorship:
It is a form of government wherein a single individual exercises political authority over the country mostly by force and through arbitrary and oppressive methods.
Dissolution:
It means the termination of the current government or parliament before a general election takes place.
Election:
It is the process of electing or voting for a candidate or representative of its choice.
Electorate:
Those people who vote in an election are known as electorates.
Gerrymander/ Gerrymandering:
It means rearranging the voting constituency or district to ensure more votes for the ruling party.
Government:
A political body is exercising authority over a nation or state and having the power to make laws and enforce it.
Grassroots:
These are the ordinary people or the familiar people in the society who are not the ruling party or in power.
Hustings:
The various activities, meetings, and speeches related to political campaigns before an election.
Incumbent:
A person who is currently holding a position in the office.
Landslide victory:
Winning an election with an excessively large majority of votes.
Law:
A rule or regulation which is passed or established by the government.
Lobby / Lobbying:
A group of influential people is known as the lobby. When these people try to influence an official elected to support or oppose any proposed legislation, it is known as lobbying.
Monarchy:
A system of government wherein the head of the state is a King or a Queen.
Nominee:
A political party chooses a person to run for election as a nominee.
Opposition:
A political party or parties who are not supporting but opposing the government.
Policy:
A course of action adopted or laid down by a political party or the ruling party.
Political asylum:
It is a protection given to a person who has left the country to oppose the government, the state, or the nation.
Political party:
Any political organization has its own beliefs, policies, and aims while putting forward its candidate for elections.
Politician:
A person who is elected and works in the profession of politics.
Politics:
The ideas and activities aligned towards governing a country, region, city, etc.
Poll:
Voting at an election.
A survey of public opinion by questioning a selection of people.
Polling day:
The day on which elections take place.
(The) polls / Polling station:
A place where people come to vote.
Prime Minister:
A person who is the head of the government under a parliamentary political system.
Regime:
It means a system of government—for example, a communist regime, etc.
Republic:
It means a system of government that is powered by elected representatives and an elected president
Run for election:
To be a candidate standing for a position in an election.
Spin doctor:
A person who interacts with the media, giving a favorable interpretation of events, especially on behalf of the party or a political personality.
Turnout:
The number of people who go to vote in an election.
Vote:
To choose a candidate who is running in an election.
Conclusion:
A political campaign glossary is an indispensable tool for anyone involved or interested in the political process, especially during the hustle and bustle of election season. It serves as a crucial educational resource, providing clear and concise definitions for the specialized terminology that permeates the world of political campaigning. This glossary is essential not only for campaign workers and volunteers but also for journalists, analysts, students, and the voting public, offering everyone a better grasp of the complex strategies and tactics employed in political contests.
The primary value of such a glossary lies in its ability to bridge knowledge gaps. Political campaigns often involve a unique set of practices and jargon that can be obscure to newcomers. By demystifying these terms, a glossary makes the campaign process more transparent and accessible, allowing a broader audience to follow and engage with political events more effectively. This clarity is crucial for fostering an informed electorate, which is the cornerstone of any democratic society.
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