Glossary of Campaign Terms

When beginning the process of running for office, there are a lot of things to learn.  Here’s what some of the terms mean.

District — A district is your political geography, the specific area you seek to represent. Districts are created based on population data, and their boundaries can change based on national census data and other factors. Districts can range from small (like a city council district or school board area) to large (like a U.S. Congressional district). To run, you need to understand your district's unique needs, demographics, and concerns.

Message box — this refers to a tried and true exercise that helps candidates develop their message in relation to their opponent.

Opposition research — conducting a complete inventory of any public statement or activity that would be part of the public record, which allows you to begin assessing your opponent’s vulnerabilities. 

Points — when used in relation to TV ads — refers to the reach of viewers and number of exposures an ad has.

Precincts — Small, subdivided areas within your district, often used for organizing voting on Election Day. In some states, they may be referred to as Election Districts, Voting Wards, or Beats, and are typically established by the local election authority. 

Self-research — conducting a full inventory of any public statement or activity that would be part of the public record. This allows you to be ready for any attacks by your opponent that may stem from this.

Targeting — messages and activities to appeal to specific demographic groups or individuals.  

Targets — Targets are groups of voters you aim to reach during your campaign. Campaigns segment target groups by age, political beliefs, location, and many other factors.

• Base Targets: Potential voters who are more likely to support you due to shared political ideologies, demographics, or party affiliation. You'll rely on this core group for votes, but they also play a crucial role in volunteer efforts, fundraising, and word-of-mouth campaigning.
• Turnout Targets: These voters lean toward your views but aren't consistent voters. Your campaign will need to use strategies like issue-oriented outreach, reminders about the importance of voting, and logistical assistance (like information on polling locations) to persuade them to vote.
• Registration Targets: This group contains people eligible to vote but are not registered. They might share your views and, if you can get them registered, could boost your vote totals. Strategies for reaching them include registration drives and information distribution about how and where to register.

Turnout — The percentage of eligible voters who cast their vote. High turnout can significantly influence an election's outcome.

Voter File — A data goldmine. But remember that any resource, no matter how rich, is only valuable if used properly. A voter file contains the information of registered voters in your district, including voting history and party affiliation, and state election administrators (usually the Secretary of State) manage them. Analyzing the voter file can guide your campaign strategy and is an instrumental tool in producing your target groups. 

Voter protection — activities aimed at safeguarding and ensuring that voters’ rights are protected and that they can vote freely and fairly.

Weeks out — this measures how many weeks until Election Day.  

Win Number — The minimum number of votes you need to secure a victory. This number is essential when planning your campaign. If you are a RunningMate user, the software will calculate this automatically, but if you want to calculate it yourself, we’ve included some details on how to do that. 

There are different ways to calculate a win number, but the basic version is: 

Win number estimate = (Turnout estimate *0.5) + 1

Most people will want to factor in a margin of victory. We recommend including a margin of 3 percent, which would change the calculation to  

Win number estimate = Turnout estimate * 0.53

The turnout estimate is: Number of registered voters in the district * Historical voting rate

Here is an example calculation for win number

Step 1: Calculate the Expected Turnout

Current Registered Voters: 

300

Historic Turnout: 

((90/100) + (150/200) + (200/250))/3 = .8167 (81.67%)

Expected Turnout: 

300 *.8167 = 245

Step 2: Calculate the Expected Win Number

Expected Win Number: 

245/2 +1 = 124

Win Number with 3 percent margin: 

245*.03+123 = 131

FIELD PLAN TERMS: 

ID refers to identifying voters to determine who is a supporter, a potential persuadable voter, and people opposed to your campaign. For those who are opposed, you want a record of them, but you won’t be working to persuade or turn them out. The remaining audience is who you will either target for GOTV or persuade (or both!). Everyone you target for GOTV should be previously identified supporters or known progressives/Democrats (also known as your “base”). You may not talk to each one of your base voters (also known as positive IDs or turnout targets) but will infer they are  supporters based on partisan scoring. RunningMate recommends setting a voter ID goal that is at least 150% of the campaign’s win number. 

Persuasion focuses on voters your campaign feels could be moved to your side. Persuasion universes usually include people who are likely to vote but do not identify as Democrats. Persuasion programs identify supporters but have messaging ready for the undecided and the opposed among the voters. With a set workflow that listens and seeks to create dialogue and space for change, a good field program prepares volunteers to speak with all types of voters.

GOTV or get-out-the-vote means turning out the supporters and likely supporters you’ve identified throughout the early stages of your campaign. GOTV programs are essential for mobilizing voters, and your top priority for this time frame is turning out your previously identified base voters and voters you’ve successfully persuaded. As a stand-alone campaign or with other efforts, GOTV programs are vital to campaign victories and upholding democracy.

CAMPAIGN TEAM:

Most campaigns will have the following roles in some form:

• Campaign manager 
  • The heartbeat of your campaign
  • Oversees all campaign operations, from formulating and executing strategy, coordinating with other staff and volunteers, to managing day-to-day activities
  • Helps set the tone of the campaign and makes sure the campaign is keeping up with the goals set in the campaign plan
  • Often serves as the primary liaison between the candidate and stakeholders
  • A campaign manager needs to be highly organized, display leadership qualities, be adaptable, and have a keen understanding of both the big picture and minute details

• Communications director 
  • Oversees earned, owned and paid communications
  • Creates and manages the campaign message, along with the campaign manager and candidate
  • Smaller campaigns might include communications within the campaign manager or candidate role 

• Campaign treasurer 
  • Oversees financial filings and compliance
  • Duties include receiving contributions, making payments, keeping detailed financial records, and ensuring compliance with local, state, or national campaign finance laws. 
  • The person in this role should be someone the candidate should trust, can devote a greater amount of time to the campaign, is detail-oriented, and communicates regularly with the campaign manager

• Finance director
  • Oversees all the fundraising 
  • For a smaller campaign, this might be the candidate and/or the campaign manager

• Field director 
  • Plans and implements your field plan, from figuring out your win number to organizing efforts to make sure your supporters cast their ballots
  • For local races, this role will often be combined with others
• Volunteers
  • The foot soldiers of any campaign who bring energy and enthusiasm 
  • Their tasks can vary widely, including door-knocking, phone banking, attending events, helping with administrative tasks, or spreading the word on social media
  • The best volunteers are passionate about the campaign's goals, reliable, have excellent interpersonal skills, and are willing to learn
  • Depending on where your volunteers come from in your community (college students, community groups, church) their ability to network can help you reach broader parts of the district. Building a wide volunteer base is crucial because everyone’s availability will vary greatly, and not everyone will follow through on volunteer commitments. 

See also: Getting Started with RunningMate and RunningMate Glossary.