Election Lingo

Many political ads tell you reasons to vote for a candidate. Attack, or negative, ads tell you why not to vote for someone—and they can get nasty. Both voters and candidates say they don’t like negative ads, but will these ads go away? Not likely: The reality is, negative ads often work.

States with a large number of undecided voters are known as battleground states because candidates campaign hard there, fighting for every vote. They’re also known as swing states because in different election years, they’ve swung their support from one party to the other (see map below).

Conservatives, often said to be “on the right,” generally think government should play a limited role in regulating business and instituting social reforms. They tend to vote Republican. Liberals, often said to be “on the left,” generally think government should play an active role in regulating business and solving social problems. They tend to vote Democratic.

Technically, the presidency is decided not by the popular vote (total votes nationwide) but by the electoral vote. In the Electoral College system established by the Constitution, each state has the same number of electoral votes as it has representatives in the two houses of Congress. The total number of electoral votes is 538 (535 for the states plus 3 for Washington, D.C.). To become president, a candidate must win at least 270 electoral votes (a majority of the 538). Most of the time, the popular-vote winner is also the electoral vote winner. The most recent exception was 2016, when Democrat Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but Republican Donald Trump won the electoral vote—and the White House.

Political action committees (PACs) are private groups that may donate up to $5,000 to support a political candidate. But a super PAC may gather unlimited donations from individuals, corporations, and unions to advocate for a candidate as long as it doesn’t coordinate with the candidate’s campaign staff.

Particularly negative—and often nasty and very personal—campaigning. But watch out for candidates who accuse their opponents of mudslinging when, really, they just don’t like what’s being said about them and want to minimize its impact.

A politician who appeals to, or claims to represent, the common people. Populists can belong to any political party and be right-wing or left-wing. (President Trump is considered by many to be a populist.)

Election maps on TV have long been color-coded to show how each party is doing. Red became standard for states voting Republican, blue for those voting Democratic. Recently, most states have consistently voted for one party or the other, becoming known as red or blue states.

Brief, catchy phrases that politicians use to sum up their positions or attack their rivals. The snappier a comment, the better its chances of being replayed in TV news reports or shared on social media.

Sometimes candidates say things they regret or something happens that makes them look bad. That’s where spin comes in. Campaign aides and supporters go on TV or online to interpret, or “spin,” the event in a positive light. The real pros are known as spin doctors.

The 26th Amendment lowered the voting age to 18 in 1971. But 18- to 29-year-olds have a spotty voting record. Just 43 percent voted in 2016—the lowest for any age group. Will they turn out at the polls this November?

Voters not loyal to the Democratic or Republican Party; they might support either party depending on the candidates and issues. The Biden and Trump campaigns are both working hard to win over swing voters.