Feature photo from Sidelines Archive by Jenene Grover
Story by Jenene Grover
Election Day and its coverage use terms you may have never heard before, are not quite sure about or you only hear every four years. Here’s a dictionary of some of the terms you might see or hear tonight while watching the coverage.
Electoral College – There are currently 538 votes total from every state, including Washington, D.C. The votes cast from the Electoral College determine the presidency and represent each state. Electoral College votes come from the number of Congressional districts plus the number of Senators per state.
270 – You might see this number repeatedly pop up throughout the night. This is the number of electoral votes a candidate needs to win the presidency.
Popular vote – The vote made by the population of U.S. voters; however, it is possible for a candidate to win the popular vote but lose the presidency (see Electoral College).
Incumbent – The person currently holding the office. Ex: Incumbent Mike Sparks faces Luis Mata.
District – A political division within a geographic area.
Precinct – A geographic area that determines who appears on your ballot. Includes specific districts one might live in for state House, state Senate, U.S. Senate and U.S. House.
Congressional districts – The area to which a U.S. House of Representatives candidate is elected.
Race call – The Associated Press (and other media organizations) calls races for a specific candidate. They look at various data and determine who has won the race. Sidelines will follow AP’s calls during this election.
Contested races – A race with more candidates than open positions. An uncontested race means there is only one candidate running, so that candidate automatically wins.
Exit poll – Polls taken as voters leave voting locations to help determine how the races will go.
Straw poll – A poll taken to get an unofficial popular opinion on a particular issue.
Concede – What an opposing candidate does to acknowledge their opponent won the race. This usually happens when the Electoral College votes surpass 270 on AP’s calls.
Upset – When the candidate who is expected to win loses.
Swing state – These states generally determine elections, as they are states that can go Democrat or Republican. This year, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are considered swing states.
Gerrymandering – When a political party redistricts an area in favor of their political party, generally considered as manipulating the vote. Reporter Noah McLane covered recent redistricting in Rutherford County that has been referred to as gerrymandering.
Disenfranchise – To deprive someone of their right to vote.
Ballot measure or initiative – A question that appears on a ballot to which a voter can vote yes or no.
Referendum – A proposed state law or constitutional amendment that appears on a ballot to be voted on before it goes into effect.
General Assembly – Tennessee’s governing body, composed of the Tennessee House of Representatives and the Tennessee Senate.
Majority vs. plurality voting – For a majority win, a candidate, measure or referendum must gain 50 percent or more of votes. For a plurality win, a candidate, measure or referendum must gain the largest percentage of votes.
Jenene Grover is the News Editor for MTSU Sidelines.
To contact the News Editor, email newseditor@mtsusidelines.com.
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