We are four short weeks away from the midterm election on Tuesday, November 3. With 35 U.S. Senate, all 435 U.S. House of Representatives, and 36 gubernatorial races on the ballot – plus numerous state and local elections – you are likely inundated with TV advertisements and phone calls and news alerts.
But how do you navigate all the jargon being thrown around?
Capitol Beat has assembled a cheat sheet on political terminology to help. We know that voting is a social determinant of health, and understanding the language of campaigns makes for a better prepared nurse electorate.
Candidate – The person running for office. If the candidate is already in the office, they are the incumbent, and someone running against them is the challenger. You can run for federal or national office – such as the presidency, U.S. Senate, or U.S. House of Representatives – or for state and local office. At the state level, gubernatorial races are for a state’s governor, and there are over 7,000 state legislature seats. Municipal elections are for towns and cities. On a ballot, the highest-level office, such as a presidential race, is called the top of the ticket; races that are then listed below that are down ballot.
Statewide v. Districts – Some candidates run in statewide elections, such as for U.S. Senate or governor, where the entirety of the population votes. Other candidates run in districts; these are smaller footprints of representation. For the U.S. House of Representatives, the number of seats available to a state out of the possible 435 is based on the population – this is apportionment. California has 52 seats, but Alaska, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming each have one at-large seat. States set their district lines on a decade-long basis based on the census data – this is redistricting. States can set their lines to favor one party over another – this is gerrymandering. The 2026 election cycle saw a novel trend of some states, from California to Texas to Florida, redrawing their congressional maps to favor one party over another in a mid-decade redistricting effort.
Partisan v. Non-Partisan – In a partisan election, candidates for office run under the banner of a political party, such as Democrat, Republican, or Independent. In a non-partisan election, candidates do not run under a party; many local elections are non-partisan.
Party Committee – Party committees operate in partisan elections. The Democratic Party has the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the national party with the main goal of electing the president; the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), focused on the U.S. Senate; and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), focused on the U.S. House of Representatives. In the Republican Party, also nicknamed the “Grand Old Party” (GOP), the counterparts are the Republican National Committee (RNC), the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), and the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC). Both parties have state affiliates, like the New Jersey Democratic State Committee or the Oklahoma Republican Party. Party committees can spend money to support campaign activities.
Standard Election Types – If a race is partisan, a primary is held to determine a party’s nominee. At the presidential level, the form can take the shape of a normal primary with an electoral ballot, but some states like Iowa employ a caucus where voters have a closed meeting to debate and decide who to support. (Note that caucus has a very different meaning on Capitol Hill: those are like intramural clubs where Members of Congress are aligned and mobilize on a particular issue, such as the Senate Nursing Caucus.) Primaries are set by the states and can span from March to September of the on year, the year the election is actually held compared to the off year, the year between federal elections. On the first Tuesday of November in an even numbered year, the general election is held for federal office. Presidents are up every four years, Senate seats are up every six years, and House seats are up every two years. The federal election held between presidential elections – like 2026 – are called the midterms.
Wonky Election Types – There’s always an exception to the rule. For example, most elections are determined by a simple, first past the post majority: who won the most votes? However, some states like Georgia require a candidate to reach a certain percentage of the vote to be considered the winner. If no candidate reaches that threshold, a runoff is held at a later date between the top two vote-getters. Another example of a different style of election are jungle primaries where every candidate runs in a single primary election, and the top vote-getters regardless of party affiliation advance to the general election. In California and Washington, it is the top two winners, while in Alaska, it’s the top four. There are also special elections: if there is a vacancy in the House of Representatives due to an incumbent resigning, being expelled, or dying in the middle of their term, there is a race to fill the remainder of their term.
Propositions – Sometimes on a ballot, there are policy questions to be voted on. A referendum is the approval or pullback of an existing policy or funding, while a ballot initiative is the proposal of something more or new. Sometimes they are put on the ballot by legislators; sometimes citizens collect petition signatures to put the question on.
Campaign Staff – Each campaign is structured differently depending on the level – federal, state, or local – and what the candidate needs. The head is often a campaign manager. Campaigns are further broken down into several departments.
Finance – The fundraising arm of a campaign. Money can be raised through a number of means, from in-person or virtual fundraising events to texting programs to call time, where a candidate directly calls potential donors on the phone. You do not have to live in the area where a candidate is running in order to be able to contribute to a campaign; however, you must follow federal law such as being a U.S. citizen or green card holder and at least 18 years old. At the federal level, there are also strict laws on how much an individual is able to contribute to a particular candidate or party committee within a certain timeframe. Each state enforces its own rules and contribution limits for gubernatorial, state, and local races.
Communications – The part of the campaign focused on broader visibility. This can range from digital, such as advertisements on social media; paid advertisements, like the ads you see airing on TV; and earned media, the exposure of being mentioned in the press. Each tactic has its own cost: earned media is free, but paid advertisements can be pricey depending on the media market – the geographic area that gets the same television and radio offerings.
Field – The side of the campaign focused on engaging directly with voters. Oftentimes, there will be paid campaign staff that organize volunteers to do outreach. This can take many forms, from phone-banking, where voters are called or texted directly; to door-knocking, where the candidate or volunteers go door-to-door and speak with potential voters; and lit dropping, where campaign literature is left at doors without directly engaging with the voter.
GOTV – Get Out the Vote. While most of the field operations’ work focuses on persuasion, or getting an individual to support a candidate, GOTV is the period of time in the days leading up to Election Day where field operations mobilize voters to the polls. Sometimes the objective is to ramp up enthusiasm to vote: you may see rallies where high-profile individuals like other politicians or celebrities stump for, or campaign for, a candidate. If the candidate themself can’t attend an event, a surrogate may appear to rally the audience. Most often, GOTV involves the creation of a voting plan where individuals determine when and how they will vote. ANA has created a GOTV toolkit for nurses available online at our Nurses Vote election center.
Ways to Vote – Vote by mail (VBM) is true to its name and an option that was used by approximately one in three during the 2024 general election. Putting the ballot in the mail or at a drop-off location before the election is one of several ways someone can cast their ballot. Other options include in-person early voting or voting on election day itself. States are responsible for how elections are run: they can set whether they will even allow early voting, the time when polls are open, and whether someone must register to vote in advance of election day. The ANA election center Nurses Vote has easy-to-use tools to confirm your voter registration and voting requirements.
FEC vs. EAC – The Federal Election Commission is the federal agency responsible for overseeing federal campaigns and other political entities like parties. Fundraising activity must be regularly reported to the FEC, such as contributions; disbursements, or spending; and cash on hand, the amount of money remaining in a campaign bank account. Candidates must report every quarter. There is also the Election Assistance Commission, the federal agency that helps states as they administer elections.
PACs – Political action committees are tax-exempt organizations that pool contributions and send them to candidates, party committees, or other PACs. These can take many forms: non-connected PACs can solicit money from anyone and are often focused on a particular ideology or issue, while connected PACs are linked to an association, union, or company and can only solicit money from its members or employees. ANA-PAC is associated with ANA. They must report to the FEC every month. Coming out of the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling in 2010, super PACs can fundraise unlimited amounts but must spend on campaign advertising while not associating with any candidate or entity.
IEs – Independent expenditures are spending done by an individual, PAC, party committee, or group on communications for or against a candidate. The entity cannot coordinate with a campaign on the advertisement, and thus, it is not considered a contribution and not subject to certain federal election reporting laws. Outside spending is another common phrase, though often associated with super PACs.
Polling – Surveying of opinions on candidates can begin weeks and months before election day. A small number of people of the total electorate are contacted, whether by phone or mail or face-to-face, and that data is extrapolated to track sentiment. Challenges with polling include voters not wanting to provide a response, plus modern challenges of a move away from households having landline phones. Straw polls are unofficial polling, commonly associated with the early days of a presidential election. Exit polls are conducted as voters leave their polling location. Prediction markets, the platforms allow betting on specific outcomes, have emerged as another measurement tool of voter sentiment. Challenges with this method as a way to track outcome is that anyone can place a bet.
Ratings – This assessment is based on a district or state voter registration breakdown and likely voters. Political analysts often label these races as solid with an outcome for one party, or likely or lean if there’s a potential for the other party to win. Races that are tossup are the ones most likely to come down to thousands or hundreds, if not a handful, of votes. You may also see House of Representatives districts with ratings like R+# or D+#. This is the Cook Partisan Voting Index which aims to be more specific in describing a partisan lean. The larger the number, the more solid a race is in one party’s favor. For example, Washington, DC’s non-voting delegate’s seat is rated D+44, a solid Democratic hold. Seats that are rated between R+5 and D+5 are in that tossup range: these are often referred to as swing seats. Political parties are vying to secure a better margin. To have a simple majority – and thus a potentially easier time to pass their agenda – a party needs 218 seats in the House of Representatives and 51 in the Senate.
