Presidential Words

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absenteevoting

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a way for citizens to vote by mail when they cannot get to their polling place. Absentee voters include members of the military and people who are ill.

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Ballot

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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.

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BlueState

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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.

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campaign

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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. / to work over a period of time to reach a goal, such as winning an election

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Candidate

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a person who is running for an elected position or competing for a job

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Caucus

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a meeting of party members to choose candidates to run in an election. In some states, Democrats and Republicans will hold caucuses to determine which candidate they will support for president.

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Constitution

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the document containing the main laws that govern the United States

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Convention

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a large meeting of political party members to choose candidates and decide the party’s views on issues. The Democratic and Republican parties hold national conventions every four years to officially select presidential and vice presidential candidates.

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Debate

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a discussion or an argument about issues. In some political races, candidates take part in organized debates so voters can compare their views.

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Delegate

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a person chosen to vote on other people’s behalf. Delegates vote for the candidates at their political party’s national convention, usually based on the results of their state’s primaries or caucuses.

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Democracy

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a form of government in which the people choose their leaders in elections

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DemocraticParty

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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.

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Economy

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a country’s 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.

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ElectionDay

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the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, by law. U.S. presidential elections are held every four years.

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Endorsement

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a formal announcement of support for a candidate by an individual or a group

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ExitPoll

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a formal survey of voters leaving polling places on Election Day, asking them for which candidates they voted. ___ help predict an election’s outcome.

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Federal

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relating to the national government, as opposed to a local or state government

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ForeignPolicy

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a country’s plan for dealing with other nations

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FrontRunner

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the candidate who is favored to win an election

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GeneralElection

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a contest on Election Day in November in which candidates are elected to office

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GOP

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a nickname for the Republican Party. The initials stand for “Grand Old Party.”

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Inauguration

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the formal ceremony in which the president is sworn into office. The next presidential inauguration will be January 20, 2017.

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Incumbent

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a person who currently holds a position or an office

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Independent

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a voter, candidate, or an elected official who does not belong to a political party

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issue

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an important problem to discuss or debate

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Landslide

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an election in which the winner receives a much larger number of votes than the other candidates

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Majority

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more than half

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Nominate

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to formally pick someone as a candidate for office. Democrats and Republicans each nominate one person for president.

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Nomination

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the act of formally choosing someone as a candidate for a job or position

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Nominee

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a person chosen to run in an election

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OathOfOffice

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a formal promise a person makes to do the best that he or she can in a particular job or political office. The president takes an oath of office on inauguration day.

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Platform

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a political party’s positions and plans to solve the country’s problems. Party members write and adopt the platform at their national convention.

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PoliticalParty

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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.

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Poll

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1. a survey of people’s opinions or beliefs

2. a public place, such as a school, where voters cast ballots on Election Day; also known as a polling place

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PopularVote

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the votes cast by regular citizens on Election Day. In a popular vote, each citizen’s individual vote counts toward the outcome.

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Primary

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an election in a state to select a political party’s candidates for the general election. In closed primaries, only members of the political party can vote. In open primaries, all voters can take part.

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RedState

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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.

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Register

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to sign up formally for something, such as to vote

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RepublicanParty

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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.

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RunningMate

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a person running for public office with another candidate. A political party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates are running mates.

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Suffrage

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the right to vote

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SuperTuesday

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a day on which several states hold primaries or caucuses. It usually takes place in February or March of a presidential election year.

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SwingState

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a state in which the Democratic and Republican candidates have an equally good chance of winning

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Term

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the length of time a public official serves in office. The term of the U.S. president is four years. The most a president can serve is two terms.

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ThirdParty

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any U.S. political party other than the Democratic and Republican parties

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Ticket

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candidates supported by a political party to run together for important positions