Appendix A: A Glossary of Campaign Terms#

A#

Absentee Ballot - A ballot used by a voter who is unable to go to the polls to vote, either because they are disabled or will be away from the district on election day. Often it is mailed to the voter and they must send it back to the board of elections before Election Day. See Ballot.

Advertisements - A form of voter contact in which the campaign pays to have the mass media deliver the message. See Message, Mass Media, and Paid Media.

At-Large District - A district often with sub-districts in it or where more than one candidate shares the same district. A mayor may run "at-large" while the city council members run in districts. See Multi Mandate.

Attitudes - This describes how the voters feel going into the election - either satisfied or angry, feeling better off or worse off, etc.

B#

Ballot - The official document voters will use to cast their vote, thus making their choices known.

Ballot Placement - This is the place where the candidate's name appears on the ballot. If there are a lot of candidates on the ballot or it is otherwise long, voters will often not read all the way down the list, thus giving candidates with a higher placement a better chance.

Baseline Poll - A political poll taken to determine as much information about the voters as possible, usually done early in the campaign before there is much political activity. See Political Polling and Tracking Poll.

Board of Elections - Usually a non-partisan board or multi-partisan board set up to oversee the election and make sure that it is conducted fairly. See Election Commission.

Bottleneck - The term used to describe the individual, place, or position that causes the flow of information or other activities to slow down or halt.

Budget - The budget usually refers to the amount of money you expect to spend on various aspects of the campaign. You should also figure out how many people are needed to accomplish each task and how long each task will take. In this way, you will also be budgeting your time and people resources as well.

By-Election - An election not held at the usually scheduled time, often to fill a vacancy in the office. There is often much lower voter turnout in a special or by-election. See Special Election.

C#

Campaign Calendar - The calendar used to schedule events and voter contact in the campaign. This should be a master calendar with the final say of what goes on in the campaign ("if it's not on the calendar, it's not happening"). Often there is a large, public version (and therefore less complete) hanging on the wall.

Campaign Committee - Often this is the decision-making group in the campaign made up of the key advisors to the candidate. See Campaign Team.

Campaign Literature - Printed campaign material used to inform potential voters about the candidate and persuade them to vote for the candidate.

Campaign Manager - The person responsible for overseeing the strategic development and the day-to-day running of the campaign. The candidate cannot be the campaign manager.

Campaign Methods - There are no tricks or fancy techniques to winning the confidence of the voters. There is only hard work and the methods outlined in this manual.

Campaign Plan - The written document bringing together the important research, the targeting, the message, and the strategy of the campaign. This should be drafted at the beginning of the campaign and provide a step-by-step outline of how the campaign will get to Election Day.

Campaign Professionals - People who have experience working in many past campaigns and are often paid to work on campaigns. These people understand the hard work needed to persuade voters and get elected. There are no tricks or short cuts.

Campaign Resources - The only resources available in politics are time, money, and people. Everything can be divided into one of these areas. It is important that every campaign, no matter how large or small, use each of these resources in the most efficient manner possible.

Campaign Team - Often this is the decision-making group in the campaign made up of the key advisors to the candidate. In some cases, the campaign team may be the Campaign Committee plus the campaign staff. See Campaign Committee.

Candidate - This is the person running for a particular elected position. The role of the candidate is to meet voters and potential donors to the campaign and persuade them to support the candidate. The candidate cannot be the campaign manager, responsible for the strategic development and day-to-day running of the campaign.

Candidate Research - Candidate research is all the information, both good and bad, that your campaign can put together on your candidate. This is part of the overall research that should be done at the beginning of the campaign. See Research.

Canvass - Going from door to door, house-to-house, apartment-to-apartment, voter-to-voter, delivering the campaign message, persuading voters, and identifying supporters. See Door-to-Door.

Characteristics of Message - A campaign message must be short, truthful and credible, persuasive and important to voters, show contrast with the opposition, speak to the heart, be targeted, and repeated again and again.

Coffee Program - A series of "coffees" or small events in various homes of supporters over the course of the campaign. These are labor and time-intensive and often require a full-time person who organizes them. See Coffees.

Coffees - These are events in the home of a volunteer or supporter where their friends are able to meet the candidate. These have the advantage of face-to-face contact with the candidate, the most persuasive form of voter contact. Coffees can also be used for small donor fundraising. See Coffee Program.

Collateral Group - A demographic group similar to or having similar interests to another demographic group. For example, teachers may share an interest in improving education with mothers. Teachers and mothers would be collateral groups.

Constant Campaign - The concept that the candidate and the party are always working for the next election and do not wait for election time to start delivering a message.

Constituency - A portion of the population represented by a particular elected leader or organization.

Contrast - Using the campaign message to demonstrate the difference between candidates when they are compared with each other. It is important to give the voters a clear choice. See Credibility and Message.

Contributions - Money donated to a political campaign or otherwise given without conditions.

Created Events - Any attempt by the campaign to bring together a large group of people. Generally, people brought together by the campaign will already be supporters, but the event may receive press coverage and thereby influence other voters. Created events can also be used to raise funds and energize supporters. See Preset Events.

Credibility - The positive or negative view voters have of a candidate or party. By creating contrast, campaigns can use their message to raise their candidate's credibility, lower their opponents' credibility or both. See Contrast and Message.

Cross Tabs - Comparing or referencing various responses to questions on a political poll with responses to other questions or demographic information. The real information in a political poll comes from the cross tabs. See Political Polling.

Cross-sets - Small groupings within the demographic breakdown that are members of at least two other demographic sets.

D#

Demographic Targeting - Grouping of the voting population based on age, gender, income, education level, occupation, ethnic background, religion, or any other smaller, identifiable grouping of the whole voter population. It is assumed that voters who identify with a particular demographic group will vote in a similar way.

Direct Voter Contact - Any method by which the candidate or the campaign communicates the message to potential voters in person, rather than using some form of media.

Direct Mail Fundraising - Sending voters something in the mail asking them to contribute to an organization, a political party, or a candidate.

District - The defined geographic area in which the election will be held and following the election, the winner will represent.

District Research - District research is all the information that your campaign can put together about the district. This is part of the overall research that should be done at the beginning of the campaign. See Research.

Door-to-Door - This is a type of voter contact in which the candidate or volunteers go from one house or apartment to another, talking directly to voters. When done by the candidate, this is one of the most persuasive methods of winning votes, though it is time and labor-intensive.

Down Ballot - Often less important offices are placed lower on the ballot. Often down ballot offices receive fewer votes due to voter drop-off or voter fatigue. See Low Profile Race, Voter Drop Off, and Voter Fatigue.

E#

Earned Media - Any coverage of the campaign in the press. It is called "earned media", as opposed to paid media, because the campaign will often have to expand a considerable amount of time and energy to receive good coverage.

Election Commission - Usually a non-partisan board set up to oversee the election and make sure that it is conducted fairly. See Board of Elections.

Election Day - The day on which the voters come to the polls and cast their votes to elect their leaders.

Election Goal - This usually refers to the number of votes needed to win an election. It is assumed that the overall goal of the election campaign is to win a particular office. This is not always the case. Some candidates run for office to promote a particular idea or expose an opponent's record on a particular issue.

Election Rules - Any laws or rules of the election commission that will affect the election in any way.

Election Technologies - This term often refers to complicated ideas or "tricks" for convincing voters to vote for the candidate. There are no tricks and the campaign methods outlined here are not complicated. They only require a lot of hard work, day after day. See Campaign Methods.

Electorate - This is the portion of the population able to vote in this election. See Voters.

Electronic Media - Electronic media is television and radio organizations that use spoken words and/or video, as opposed to the print media that uses the written word and/or pictures. See Print Media and Mass Media.

Endorsements - Endorsements are announced or written support for the candidate from opinion leaders or organizations that will influence members of their organizations or other voters to vote for the candidate. See Opinion Leaders.

Ethnic Voter - An ethnic voter is one who identifies with a particular national, religious, or language grouping. These are generally groupings within the demographic breakdown of the population.

Executive Office - An elected position that oversees the running of the government, such as a mayor, governor, or president. See Legislative Office.

Expected Turnout - The number of voters you believe will go to the polls and vote in this particular election and this particular race.

F#

Field Director - A person on the campaign staff responsible for organizing the direct contact with the voters by the candidate and the volunteers.

Filing Deadline - The last day and time in which the candidate can file for a particular office.

Focus Groups - A method of sociological research in which a small group of people are brought together and asked a series of questions. The point is to receive qualitative information about public attitudes and test reactions to various messages and information. See Political Polling.

Friends of Friends Program - A method of voter contact where volunteers agree to contact their friends either through the mail or on the phone and encourage them to vote for the candidate.

Fundraiser - An event planned with the goal of raising money for the campaign. Fundraiser may also refer to the person who raises the funds for the campaign by any method.

Fundraising - Any method used to raise money for the campaign.

G#

Geographic Targeting - Grouping the voting population based on where they live and determining patterns within the voting population based on geography. It is assumed that voters who live in a particular area and voted one way in the past will probably vote the same way in the future, barring any extreme change in their situation.

Golden Rule - All campaigns must repeatedly communicate a persuasive message to people who will vote.

GOTV - "Get Out The Vote" or GOTV is the term used to remind voters to go to the polls and vote for your candidate. Often a campaign will expend a considerable amount of effort just before Election Day to make sure that your supporters turn out and vote. See Pull and Blind Pull.

H#

High Profile Race - An election campaign for a particular office that voters are interested in and want to hear about. High profile races often receive the most votes. See Low Profile Race.

Horserace Question - A question on a political poll that asks, "if the election were held today, would you vote for candidate X or candidate Y". This type of information is often of little use to the campaign because it does not provide a reason for the decision. The only horserace question that counts is at the polls on Election Day. See Political Polling.

I#

Image Maker - There are a lot of people with very little campaign experience who are conning candidates into thinking that elections are complicated or that there are certain tricks they can use to fool the voters. They often talk about psychoanalyzing the voters or the way a candidate dresses instead of the hard work of contacting voters and persuading them with a clear message. Lazy candidates who are looking for a quick fix often fall for their talk and waste a lot of time and money in doing so. See Campaign Professionals.

Incumbent - A candidate running again for an elected position that they already hold.

Internet Campaigning - Any method of voter contact using computers and the communications network. Typically this involves developing campaign pages on the World Wide Web. While this can be an inexpensive way to convey a lot of information to those interested in the candidate and the campaign, it is not an effective voter contact method because it does not go to the voters. Instead, voters have to go to it.

Issues - A solution or partial solution to a problem. The economic crisis is a problem, not an issue. Whether or not cutting taxes to spur investment or paying pensions are good ideas may be issues.

K#

Kitchen Cabinet - A term used to describe the key advisors to a candidate informally organized so as not to attract attention.

L#

Lawn Signs - Large signs with the candidate's name on them and the office they are seeking which can be put in put on lawns and other areas near roads. Lawn signs are good for increasing name recognition of the candidate and reminding people to vote. See Visibility.

Leadership Qualities - The particular traits people are looking for in those that represent them.

Legislative Office - A legislative office is a position on an elected council, congress, or other body dealing with legislation. See Executive Office.

Literature Drop - A voter contact method in which volunteers go door to door to leave campaign literature at each house or apartment of voters in the district. Because they do not knock on the doors and talk to voters, this is a less persuasive method of voter contact than door to door, but can be accomplished a lot quicker. See Campaign Literature and Door-to-Door.

Literature Handout - A voter contact method in which volunteers hand campaign literature to potential voters gathered in any large groups, such as workers leaving a factory, commuters waiting for a train, or shoppers at a market. See Campaign Literature.

Low Profile Race - An election campaign for a particular office that voters are not that interested in and they are likely to ignore. See High Profile Race and Down Ballot.

M#

Mail - A voter contact method in which campaign literature is sent through the post to voters. Depending on the type of voter file or mailing list you have, this literature can be targeted to voters based on geography or demographics. See Campaign Literature and Voter File.

Majority - Fifty percent of the votes cast plus one vote. This as opposed to a simple plurality of the vote or the most votes cast. See Plurality.

Margin of Victory - The number of votes needed to assure that the candidate wins the election. See Targeting.

Mass Media - Any independent press that has a large audience.

Media Market - The geographic area reached by the mass media in a particular region. Often a newspaper will have a circulation within a city and its metropolitan area and a television station can only reach a certain area.

Message - A limited body of truthful information that is consistently conveyed by the candidate and the campaign to provide persuasive reasons for voters to vote for the candidate.

Message Box - The exercise in which the campaign views what will be said in the election by us about us, by us about them, by them about them, and by them about us. This should be a fairly complete picture of everything that will be said during the campaign and should provide the campaign with a clear contrast with their opponents.

Money - One of the three resources in every political campaign, the others being time and people. It is important to determine how much money each activity in the campaign will cost and plan for it. See Campaign Resources and Budget.

Multi Mandate - An election district in which more than one candidate will win the positions sought in this campaign.

Murphy's Law - "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."

N#

Name Recognition - Identification of the candidate's name by the voters. Often voters will know little about the candidates and therefore vote for the name that they recognize. It is important for candidates to have the voters associate their name with their message because only the name will appear on the ballot.

Non-Partisan - When something relates to all political parties or no particular political parties. A non-partisan election is one where candidates are not affiliated with particular parties and their party is not listed on the ballot. A non-partisan organization is one that associates with either no political parties or many different political parties, avoiding the association with one particular party.

O#

Opinion Leaders - Opinion leaders are people in the community who can influence others. These people can be leaders of civic organizations, other political leaders, members of the media, or well-known and respected individuals. It is often important to win the endorsement of these individuals early in the campaign. See Endorsements.

Opponents - These are other candidates running for the same office and on the same ballot as your candidate.

Opposition Research - Opposition research is all the information, both good and bad, that your campaign can put together on all of the viable opponents. This is part of the overall research that should be done at the beginning of the campaign. See Research.

P#

Paid Media - Any advertisements the campaign pays to have placed in the mass media, such as television, radio, or newspapers.

Palm Card - A standard piece of campaign literature used to describe the candidate and provide a reason to vote for them. This should provide a clear summary of the campaign message. See Campaign Literature and Message.

Partisan - Anything relating to the political party. When an election is partisan, it means that party affiliation matters and may be listed on the ballot. See Non-Partisan.

Party List - This is a method of voting where the voters vote for a party and the party selects the candidates based on the percentage of the vote it receives.

Past Performance - This is the information for past elections on how many votes or what percentage of votes candidates from a particular party or similar ideology received. If there are similar candidates or multiple elections, the various percentages can be averaged together to find an overall performance.

People - One of the three resources every political campaign has, the other two being time and money. It is important to determine how many people will be needed to accomplish each activity and plan for it. See Campaign Resources.

Persuadability - This is the percentage of voters in a precinct or district that do not vote in a consistent way. In other words, voters in a district may vote for one candidate and not vote for a candidate with a similar ideology or from the same party in either the same election or in two consecutive elections. These non-consistent voters are considered to be persuadable and the percentage of persuadable voters in a district can influence the amount and type of voter contact the campaign plans in that district.

Persuadable Voters - Voters who do not vote in a consistent way, voting for one candidate and not voting for a candidate with a similar ideology or from the same party in either the same election or in two consecutive elections. It is believed that these voters do not identify with a particular party or ideology and can be persuaded by a clear message.

Phone Bank - A place where there are a number of phones and volunteers are able to come together as a group to phone voters.

Phoning - A method of voter contact in which volunteers call voters on the phone. This method can be used to persuade voters, identify supporters and turn out the vote near Election Day.

Platform - The program, often written, that the political party or candidate will address if and when they are elected. This is not a campaign message. See Program.

Plurality - The most votes cast in a given election. This differs from a majority of the votes cast or 50% plus one vote. See Majority.

Political Landscape - The environment in which the campaign will be waged, particularly in reference to the various people involved in politics in the area.

Political Players - Those people involved in politics in the area and who may influence the campaign one way or another.

Political Polling - Scientific, quantitative sociological research based on randomly selected voters used by the campaign to determine the opinions of the voters and used to provide strategic planning information.

Polling Place - The particular location where voters go to cast their ballots.

Posters - Large signs with the candidate's name on them and the office they are seeking which can be put in windows and on poles. Posters are good for increasing name recognition of the candidate and reminding people to vote. See Visibility.

Precinct - The smallest district in relation to elections. Usually a precinct has one polling place.

Precinct Captain - An individual responsible for organizing the party activity, voter contact program, and Election Day operation in a particular precinct. Sometimes these people are volunteers and sometimes they are elected. See Precinct.

Precinct Information - Whatever information can be gathered about a particular precinct, such as voter list, turnout from the last election, and returns from the last election.

Preset Events - Any event or large grouping of voters organized outside the campaign, where the campaign can go and meet voters. These can be parades, conventions, or debates. These are often outside the control of the campaign. See Created Events.

Press - Anyone working for a mass media organization and who is writing or otherwise commenting on the election campaign. This may also refer to what is written - "he received good press".

Press Conference - An event planned by the campaign to which the press is invited with the purpose to providing information about the campaign or on a particular issue.

Press Packet - A pack of information developed by the campaign and giving to the press to provide them with more information about the candidate and the campaign. A press packet often includes a candidate biography, a photo of the candidate, a copy of the press release announcing their candidacy or the speech, press releases outlining various position papers, copies of good press the campaign has received, and copies of campaign literature.

Press Q&A - An opportunity for the press to ask the candidate questions and receive answers.

Press Release - Information provided by the campaign to reporters and others in the mass media presenting the candidates position on a particular issue or event. Press releases are often written in the form of a news story.

Press Secretary - This is the individual in the campaign organization responsible for dealing with the mass media. See Mass Media and Press.

Print Media - Print media are independent newspapers and magazines or any other part of the mass media using the written word and/or still pictures, as opposed to the electronic media that use the spoken word and/or video. See Electronic Media and Mass Media.

Proactive Campaign - A campaign that has a strategy and a written plan to carry that strategy out. This campaign sets the agenda in the election and knows what to expect from their opponents. See Reactive Campaign.

Program - The candidate or party's program is what they say they will do concerning various issues important to the voters. A program is not a message. See Message and Platform.

Pull - Making sure that voters who support the candidate go to the polls and vote for the candidate on Election Day. The campaign should do everything short of "pulling" the voters to the polls. Generally only supporters who have been identified previously are encouraged to vote, except in areas of extreme support. See GOTV and Blind Pull.

Q#

Q&A - "Questions and Answers". See Press Q&A.

R#

Race - An election campaign is often compared to a running race in which candidates "run for office". See Running for Office.

Reactive Campaign - A campaign that spends its resources responding to the political landscape and what happens during the campaign. This is a campaign that lacks a plan, is always behind, and cannot set the agenda. See Proactive Campaign.

Research - All the information that will influence this election that your campaign can find. This may include information about the election rules, the district, the voters, past elections, this election, your candidate, and any viable opponents. Research is the first step in putting together a campaign strategy and plan.

Rule of Finite Resources - Every decision to do something is a decision not to do something else. Every campaign has a limited number of each of the resources, time, money, and people, and must make decisions about how to use those resources. It is therefore important to have a written campaign plan which lays out the strategy.

Run Off - In certain systems, an election held to determine a winner with a majority of the votes when none of the candidates received a majority in the first round. The top two candidates who received the most votes in the first round will run in the run-off election.

Running for Office - An election campaign is often compared to a running race in which candidates "run for office". See Race.

S#

Scheduler - The person in the campaign responsible for keeping the campaign calendar, the candidate's calendar, and responding to invitations.

Single Mandate - An election district in which one candidate will win the position sought in this campaign.

Slogan - This is a short phrase that voters may remember to identify the candidate or campaign. A slogan is not a message.

Sound Trucks - Automobiles with loudspeakers attached to them that go through areas of the district broadcasting a message. These are considered part of the visibility method of voter contact.

Special Election - An election not held at the usually scheduled time, often to fill a vacancy in the office. There is often a much lower voter turnout in a special or by-election. See By-Election.

Speech - Usually prepared remarks given orally to a group of people or a large audience.

Stay on Message - When a candidate or campaign continues to deliver the same message or theme at every opportunity. Often the opponent will try to pull the campaign off their message, but it is critical not to let this happen.

Strategic Planning Session - A meeting, or short series of meetings, of the candidate and any key advisors that will gather the necessary information and determine the overall strategy of the campaign. This strategy must be written down in the form of a campaign plan. See Campaign Plan.

Strategy - The method, written into the campaign plan, of what the campaign will do from this point to election day to elect the candidate to the chosen office.

Stump Speech - A standard speech delivered by a candidate on many occasions. This speech should contain the campaign message as its core and be repeated at every opportunity.

Supporters - Voters and others who have been identified by the campaign as people who will vote for the candidate or party in this election.

Surrogate - Anyone speaking on behalf of the candidate or otherwise officially representing the candidate.

Swing District - An election district has a history of voting for different parties or different types of candidates in the same or consecutive elections. Because the district can "swing" back and forth between different parties or candidates, it is often important to spend campaign resources to persuade voters in these districts to ensure that the campaign wins them. See Persuadability.

Swing Precincts - Precincts within a particular election district that have a history of voting for different parties or different ideologies in different elections. The campaign may want to put extra resources into these districts to ensure that the candidate wins them. See Precincts.

Swing Voter - Voters who are not tied to a particular political party or ideology, but have a history of voting for different parties or different ideologies in the same or different elections. These voters are considered persuadable and likely to be reached by a good campaign message or other information. See Persuadable Voters.

T#

Target Voters - Voters whom the campaign believes are most likely to be persuaded by the campaign's message and thus provide the margin of victory. See Message and Margin of Victory.

Targeting - The process of dividing the voting population into smaller groups and determining which of the votes you want to concentrate your message on to provide the margin of victory. See Demographic Targeting and Geographic Targeting.

The Campaign - This refers to either the organization put together to elect a particular candidate or the period of time in which an election is waged.

Time - One of the three resources every political campaign has, the other two being people and money. It is important to determine how much time each campaign activity will take and plan for it. Unlike the other two resources, time is the same for each of the campaigns involved in an election, but not all campaigns use their time as effectively. See Campaign Resources.

Tracking Poll - A political poll taken later in the campaign to determine how the campaign's message and the various methods of voter contact is affecting undecided and persuadable voters. See Baseline Poll and Political Polling.

Turnout - This is the portion of the electorate that actually goes to the polls and votes. This can be referred to as a percentage or as a real number.

V#

Values - The principles considered desirable by the voters.

Visibility - The voter contact method in which the candidate's name is advertised on signs, tee shirts, cups, and just about anything else. If seen enough, this can often raise the candidate's name recognition but it does little to persuade voters with a campaign message.

Volunteer - A supporter of the candidate who generally spends some of their time helping the campaign without being paid a salary.

Volunteer Coordinator - A person on the campaign staff responsible for recruiting and scheduling volunteers.

Vote Shifting - When voters vote for one candidate in one election and vote for a candidate from a different party or with a different ideology in the next election. Voters who shift their votes are considered to be persuadable with a campaign message. See Persuadability.

Vote Splitting - When voters vote for one candidate and vote for a candidate from a different party or with a different ideology on the same ballot in the same election. Voters who split their votes are considered to be persuadable with a campaign message. See Persuadability.

Voter Drop Off - Less important or lower profile races often receive fewer votes than higher profile races because often voters do not know about the race, do not know the candidates and do not feel comfortable voting for candidates they do not know.

Voter Fatigue - The tendency of voters not to vote for candidates they do not know or in races they do not care about. Voter fatigue is greatest in low profile or down ballot races. See Voter Drop Off, Low Profile Race, and Down Ballot.

Voter File - A database that contains at least the name and address of all the voters in a district. An enhanced voter file may have other information about the voters such as their phone numbers, their ages, and whether or not they have a history of voting in the past. Political parties and candidates may further enhance the voter file by finding out who supports the candidate or what issues are important to voters. The only way to do this is to ask voters directly.

Voter Priorities - Voters often care about things that affect them directly, such as their job or the education of their children. They often care less about policy issues that they have little control over. Candidates need to speak to the voters about things they care about.

Voter - This is any person who is able to vote in this election for this particular office. See Electorate.