Election Vocabulary

Monday
1. Democracy - a form of government in which the people choose their leaders in
elections
2. Election Day - the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, by law. U.S.
presidential elections are held every four years.
3. Federal relating to the national government
4. Majority - more than half
5. Nominate - to formally pick someone as a candidate for office. Democrats and
Republicans each nominate one person for president.
6. political party - a group of citizens with similar ideas on how the country should
be run. The two main U.S. political parties are the Democrats and the
Republicans.
7. popular vote - a group of citizens with similar ideas on how the country should
be run. The two main U.S. political parties are the Democrats and the
Republicans.
8. third party - any U.S. political party other than the Democratic and Republican
parties
9. Electoral vote the vote expressed by the Electoral College, which determines
the winner of the presidential election
Tuesday
10.front-runner the person in the presidential race who is ahead
11.GOP - a nickname for the Republican Party. The initials stand for Grand Old
Party.
12.Campaign - a series of actions performed to help reach a goal, such as winning
an election. Presidential campaigns include giving speeches, meeting voters, and
debating against opponents.
13.debate - a discussion or an argument about issues. In some political races,
candidates take part in organized debates so voters can compare their views.
14.Democratic Party - One of the two main political parties in the United States.
Founded in 1828, the Democratic Party has a donkey as its symbol. U.S.
President Barack Obama is a Democrat. Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy,
and Bill Clinton are some of the most well-known Democratic presidents.
15.Issue - an important problem to discuss or debate
16.Republican Party - One of the two main political parties in the United States.
Founded in 1846, the Republican Party has an elephant as its symbol. Abraham
Lincoln was the first Republican president. Other well-known Republican
presidents were Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan.
17.ticket - candidates supported by a political party to run together for important
positions (A candidate is said to be On the ticket.)

Wednesday:

18.Poll - a survey of peoples opinions or beliefs

19.Candidate - a person who is running for an elected position or competing for a
job
20.Incumbent the current president (in this case, Obama)
21.Landslide - an election in which the winner receives a much larger number of
votes than the other candidates
22.Economy - a countrys system for managing its money and resources (such as
workers) to make, buy, and sell goods. The economy usually grows if people
make and buy more goods than they did the previous year. When that happens,
more jobs become available.
Thursday
23.swing state - a state in which the Democratic and Republican candidates have an
equally good chance of winning
24.blue state - a state that mainly supports and votes for Democratic candidates in
presidential elections. These states are usually shown in blue on U.S. election
maps.
25.exit poll - a formal survey of voters leaving polling places on Election Day, asking
them for which candidates they voted. Exit polls help predict an elections
outcome.
26.Ballot - a list of candidates and proposals that citizens use to cast a secret vote.
The ballot may be printed on paper, set up on a voting machine or computer, or
available on the Internet.
27.red state - a state that mainly supports and votes for Republican candidates in
presidential elections. These states are usually shown in red on U.S. election
maps