GAP Lingo
what you need to know to talk the big talk
Battleground states
also known as swing states, are the states that are the least likely to go one way or another, so presidential candidates invest their time and efforts into visiting them and dropping advertisement after advertisement in between episodes of Shark Tank. These states most recently included Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, but if there is one thing we learned from Georgia in 2020, every state should be treated as a battleground state (shoutout community organizing).
Caucus
were made infamous after the 2020 Iowa “system-wide disaster” Caucus. States and territories that hold caucuses for party candidates means meeting in venues, such as libraries or gymnasiums, and gathering in groups of support for specific candidates. Those who are undecided have one final chance to hear the cases of all candidates in the caucus. Many states have been switching to primaries instead because caucuses take up voters’ entire days, require them to drive hours, sometimes, and are inaccessible for many. Some say they are outdated like a bad 80’s hairstyle. After Iowa’s performance in the last presidential election, who could blame them.
Caucus States: Iowa, Nevada, American Samoa, North Dakota, Wyoming, Guam, and the Virgin Islands.
Delegates
officially vote for the nominee at the party conferences, and are picked to represent voters in their district or areas (because, as it turns out, the “voters pick the president and that's that'' model of democracy we learned in elementary school is much more complicated). Unlike superdelegates, delegates are individuals whose votes are decided before they get to the party conference, by the primaries and causes held in each state. These individuals can be local leaders, politicians, supporters of campaigns, or anything in between. Each state gets a certain amount of delegates based on party population in their state and their electoral college (more complexities to confuse AP GOV kids). Overall, the title of party delegate is largely a formality as the candidate is decided in primaries and caucuses, but it does come with pretty cool bragging rights.
The Electoral College
is the official process that elects a president. Every state gets one elector per congressman plus two for each of their senators. This totals 538 Electors. Candidates must secure 270 to win the presidency. Electors vote based on the results of their state, resulting in a “winner take all” voting system in every state except Maine and Nebraska, which split their votes proportionally. Because of this, plus the distribution of electors per state, many argue that the electoral college is not representative of the American population. Many Americans on all sides of the aisle would likely agree that American democracy would be… fine without the Electoral College.
Exit Polls
are political polls conducted as people leave their voting places. These can cover a wide array of topics, from the candidate they voted for, to their demographics, to issues they prioritize. Exit polls are important to predict elections before official results are reported. However, as we saw with horror on our faces in 2016, exit polls can be dangerous to rely too heavily on because interviewees don’t want to be truthful about their voting preferences.
PAC (Political Action Committees)
are organizations who campaign for specific political candidates or parties that support particular issues and/or policies. They often raise and donate their money in ways that will advance their own interests. Because PACs exist and can donate thousands at a time, individual donations don’t always make a huge difference. However, every single cent counts and many politicians are moving away from PACS in order to connect with their voters more! And when all else fails; there is always phone banking to get your community organizing on.
Types of PAC’s include: National Association of Realtors, National Beer Wholesalers Association, National Auto Dealers Association, Lockheed Martin, (even greek life has one: Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee). If you belong to any student organization, like a sorority or fraternity, it’s important to investigate their connections to PACs. It’s possible your dues or fees are going to lobbying for issues you don’t agree with, or electing politicians you might not support. Inform yourself and use your voice.
Precinct
AKA voting districts, are the smallest areas in which electoral districts are divided. Every precinct has a polling place, however polling places may service more than one precinct. Precincts cover an average of 1,100 voters and are mostly important on election night. News anchors love saying the percentage of precincts that are reporting like it means much to most viewers.
Primaries
choose the party-backed candidate. If caucuses are the ugly stepsister, primaries are the token golden child of elections. Used in presidential, state, and local elections, primaries are preliminary elections used to narrow down candidate lists. For presidential elections, states often only allow voters to cast a ballot in their party’s primary. Other states let you choose which primary you want to vote in. TLDR; Check your registration information and state’s laws to make sure you can participate in the next primary (unless your state uses caucasus, then we’re so sorry).
Superdelegates
AKA unpledged delegates, are individuals who aren't committed to vote for any candidate before the conference. These are often party leaders or public officials and congressmen (who suspiciously have more power than the people). Many have complained that this takes the choice away from voters and gives it to the party (because well.. It does) so the Democratic Party changed their rules so superdelegates can only cast a ballot if additional rounds of voting are needed.