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| The votes cast by citizens in an election |
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| Votes cast by members of the electoral college; after a presidential candidate wins the popular vote in a given state, that candidate’s slate of electors will cast electoral votes for the candidate on behalf of that state |
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| The proportions of seats in the House and Senate that are controlled by each major party |
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| A change in the number of seats held by Republicans and Democrats in the House or Senate |
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| A typical congressional election in which the reelection rate is high, and the influences on House and Senate contest are largely local |
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| An atypical congressional election in which the reelection rate is relatively low for oen party’s House and Senate incumbents and national-level issues exert more influence than usual on House and Senate races |
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| A politician running for reelection to the office she currently holds |
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| A politician running for an office that he does not hold at the time of the election. Challengers run against incumbents or in open-seat elections |
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| A citizen’s judgment of an officeholder’s job performance since the last election |
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| The selection of a particular candidate to run for office in a general election as a representative of his or her political party |
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| A primary election in which any registered voter can participate in the contest, regardless of party affiliation |
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| A primary election in which only registered members of a particular political party can vote |
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| The election in which voters cast ballots for House members, senators, and (every four years) a president and vice president |
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| A voting ballot submitted by mail before an election. Voters use absentee ballots if they will be unable to go to the polls on Election Day |
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| A voting system in which the candidate who receives the most votes within a geographic are wins the election regardless of whether he or she wins a majority of the votes |
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| A voting system in which a candidate must win more than 50 percent of votes in order to win the election. If no candidate wins enough votes to take office, a runoff election is held between the top two vote-getters |
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| Under a majority voting system, a second election held only if no candidate wins a majority of the votes in the first general election. Only the top two vote-getters in the first election compete in the runoff |
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| Casting a ballot that is either incomplete or cannot be counted |
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| A ballot vote in which citizens select a party’s nominee for the general election |
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| Local meetings in which party members select a party’s nominee for the general election |
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| Individuals who attend their party’s national convention and vote to select their party’s nominee for the presidency. Delegates are elected in a series of primaries and caucuses that occur during winter and spring of an election year |
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| During the presidential primaries, the practice of assigning all of a given state’s delegates to the candidate who receives the most popular votes. Some states’ Republican primaries and caucuses uses this system |
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| A practice whereby several states in the same area of the country hold presidential primaries or caucuses on the same day |
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| The practice of states moving their presidential primaries or caucuses to take place earlier in the nomination process, often in the hopes of exerting more influence over the outcome |
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| Democratic members of Congress and party officials selected by their colleagues to be delegates at the party’s presidential nominating convention. (Republicans do not have superdelegates.) Unlike delegates selected in primaries or caucuses, superdelegates are not committed to a particular candidate and can exercise their judgment decing how to vote at the convention |
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| The body that votes to select america’s president and vice president based on the popular vote in each state. Each candidate nominates a slate of electors who are selected to attend the meeting of the college if their candidate wins the most votes in a state or district |
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| In a presidential race, highly competive states in which both major party candidates stand a good chance of winning the state’s electoral votes |
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| The two-year period between general elections |
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| An elected position for which there is no incumbent |
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| The actions officeholders take throughout the election cycle to build support for their reelection |
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| Attempts by elected officials to manipulate the economy, increasing economic growth and reducing unemployment and inflation around election time, with the goal of improving evaluations of their performance in office |
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| Fund-raising by candidates prior to the primaries or caucuses. The amounts that candidates manage to raise in this period are often considered indicative of their respective chances of winning |
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| Candidates’ attempt to recruit well-respected consultants and campaign staff prior to the first primaries and caucuses. A candidate’s ability to recruit a prestigious campaign team is often considered indicative of his or her electoral prospects |
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| A mode of campaigning that involves indirect contact with citizens, such as running campaign adds |
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| A mode of campaigning in which a candidate or campaign staff contact citizens directly, as would happen at a rally, a talk before a small group, or a one-on-one meeting between a candidate and a citizen |
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| Motivating supporters to vote in and election and, in some cases, helping them get to the polls on Election Day |
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| A campaign’s efforts to “get out the vote” or make sure their supporters vote on Election Day |
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| A type of survey in which the questions are presented in a biased way in an attempt to influence the respondent |
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| A candidate’s description of his or her issue positions and the kinds of policies he or she will seek to enact in office |
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| Attempts by a candidate’s campaign or other groups of supporters to uncover embarrassing or politically damaging information about the candidate’s opponent |
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| Campaign advertising that criticizes a candidate’s opponent—typically by making potentially damaging claims about the opponent’s background or record—rather than focusing on positive reasons to vote for the candidate |
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| Federal Election Commission |
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| The government agency that enforced and regulates campaign finance laws; made up of six presidential appointees, of whom no more than three can be members of the same party |
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| Donations that are used to help elect or defeat a specific candidate |
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| Contributions that can be used for voter mobilization or to promote a policy proposal or point of view as long as these efforts are not tied to supporting or opposing a particular candidate |
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| The question of why citizens vote even though their individual votes stand little chance of changing the election outcome |
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| The percent of registered voters who cast a ballot in a given election |
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| People who are well-informed about their own policy preferences and knowledgeable about the candidates—and use all of this information when they decide how to vote |
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| A vote that is likely to be consistent with the voter’s true preference about the candidates |
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| The idea that a popular president can generate additional support for candidates affiliated with his party. Coattails are weak or nonexistent in most American elections |
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| A ballot on which a voter selects candidates from more than one political party |
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| A ballot on which a voter selects candidates from only one party |
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| Pieces of information about a candidate that are readily available, easy to interpret, and lead a citizen to decide to vote for a particular candidate |
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