English for Politics and the Election Season
Election Day in the US takes place in early November, but the election season — the time when politicians advertise, debate and make public appearances — begins many months before that.
As Election Day gets closer, you will see and hear about the different candidates and their progress on TV and across the internet. Sometimes it's difficult to avoid this news!
To help you understand things better, this article will introduce some important words and expressions related to elections and the political process in America. Let’s begin!
Common election vocabulary
Run
Of course, “run” means using your legs and feet to move quickly. However, in politics, someone “runs” for a political office they want to win.
- Barack Obama first ran for president in 2008.
It can also be used as a noun.
- Everyone expects that she will announce her run for presidency at tonight’s event.
Blue/Red
America’s two major political groups are the Democratic Party, which is represented by the color blue, and the Republican Party, which is represented by red.
During the election season, it is common to see maps of the United States divided into blue and red, showing the areas each party controls.
- California and New York are known to be blue states, while many states in the south, such as Alabama and Tennessee, are commonly red.
Swing state
As mentioned above, many states almost always support a particular party. But there are a few places that are difficult to predict. These are called “swing states” (or sometimes "battleground states") because it is possible for them to swing, or move, from one party to another in any election.
Winning swing states is very important for helping a party's leader become the president. Although they change over time, swing states in recent years have been places like Ohio and Arizona.
- Candidates spend a lot of time and money to promote themselves in swing states.
Platform
"Platform" has several meanings that depend on the context. In politics, it refers to the ideas, beliefs and goals of each candidate or party. Politicians promote their platforms to gain support from the public and from other politicians.
- He's running on a platform of renewable energy, gender equality and improved relations with foreign countries.
Progressive/Liberal
Both of these words are adjectives for describing ideas that support social change, innovation and new ideas.
- In modern times, the Democratic Party is the more progressive of the major political parties.
You can also use either of these terms to refer to a person with these political beliefs.
- Most of the people living in this area are liberals.
Conservative
The opposite of progressive is “conservative.” The root word “conserve” means "to save" or “to prevent too much of something.”
People with conservative beliefs often have more traditional values and do not want things to change too much.
- Many people in the southern part of America have conservative political views.
Just like “progressive,” you can use this term to refer to people.
- Some news networks are very popular with conservatives.
Left/Right
These two adjectives are similar in meaning to the words we just covered. A person, state, etc. “on the left” has liberal/progressive beliefs, while anything “on the right” has more conservative ideas.
- It is common for people on the right to support freedom for gun owners. People on the left, however, want more rules to limit the usage of guns.
GOP
“GOP” stands for “Grand Old Party,” which is another name for the Republican Party.
- The leaders of the GOP will meet with members of the press this afternoon.
Seat
In the US, there are two major groups that control the government along with the president: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Each position within these groups is called a "seat." The House consists of 435 seats, while the Senate consists of 100.
- A party must control 222 seats in the House to have a majority, and therefore, more power to influence the country's laws.
Ballot
A "ballot" is a special form that people use to record their votes in an election.
- All of the ballots must be counted before we can announce the winner of the race.
Tabulate
According to the Oxford Learner's Dictionary, to “tabulate” something means "to arrange facts or figures in columns or lists so that they can be read easily." During election season, it is commonly used as another way to say "count."
- The state has many volunteers working to tabulate the votes quickly.
Term
A "term" is the amount of time a person can hold one political position. For example, a presidential term in the US is four years, with a maximum of two terms.
- Donald Trump was president of the United States for only one term.
Incumbent
"Incumbent" refers to a person who holds an official position. For example, in 2024, Joe Biden is the incumbent president.
- The incumbent will run against several younger challengers with new ideas for leadership.
Other useful terms and expressions
Tight race
You can call a race "tight" when at least two of the candidates have about the same level of support, making it difficult to guess who the winner will be.
- The race is too tight for anyone to declare a winner.
Flip
When discussing politics, a state “flips” if it changes from one color (political party) to another.
- The popular politician earned enough support to flip the state, which surprised everyone.
Runoff
When an election ends without one person or side being the clear winner, a smaller, additional election must take place. These extra elections are called "runoffs."
- A runoff was announced since neither candidate got a majority of the votes.
Lame duck
"Lame" is an adjective for describing people or animals who have difficulty walking because of an injury or damage to their legs or feet. It's also used as slang to say that something is not fashionable or cool.
- That movie was so lame. I want my money back!
In politics, a "lame duck" is a politician who does not have enough support or influence to control things or make major decisions. It is often used to refer to a president at the end of their presidency, when many people's attention is focused on the next person to hold the position.
- He lost a lot of support for his policies once he became a lame duck.
It can also be used as an adjective.
- The president has entered his lame-duck period.
Honeymoon period
You may already know that a honeymoon is a vacation for newly married couples. But did you know that it's also used in politics?
The "honeymoon period" is the time just after an election, when most politicians still have a large amount of support from the public and from their colleagues.
- It's important to start your term in a strong way by taking advantage of the honeymoon period.
A final note
Because of America’s strong position in the world, even people from other countries watch the latest US election news closely. While it is important to stay informed, it is also important to make sure you have facts before forming your opinions.
Many people have very strong feelings about politics, and unfortunately, it is easy to find misinformation, or information that is not true — especially on social media. It’s a good idea to always double-check that the information you see is correct!
Wrap-up
If you pay attention to the upcoming US presidential election — or to others around the world — you will definitely see or hear some of the terms we've introduced here. We hope this article helps you to understand more of all of the information you find!
