Campaign Basics
Campaigns try to gain voter support, raise money, build an organization, communicate their message, and finally do this.
What is get supporters to vote?
House candidates run in this smaller geographic area within a state.
What is a congressional district?
This is the process of redrawing congressional district boundaries, generally after the decennial census.
What is redistricting?
This is a restriction on the number of terms an official can run for.
What are term limits?
This official checks the government's books to make sure public money is spent legally.
Who is an auditor?
A congressional campaign is an organized effort to win a seat in one of these two bodies.
What are the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate?
Senate candidates run across this area, which is why they need more money and media outreach.
What is statewide?
Experience, campaign organization, fundraising, and name recognition are examples of this category of factor.
What are candidate factors?
This is the degree to which a state legislature functions as a full-time lawmaking body.
What is legislative professionalism?
This official measures land and marks property boundaries.
Who is a surveyor?
Advertising, polling, travel, and staff salaries are all examples of how campaigns spend this.
What are campaign funds?
Name recognition, fundraising connections, political experience, and constituent relationships are all advantages of this type of candidate.
Who is an incumbent?
Drawing district boundaries to advantage a particular party or group is called this.
What is gerrymandering?
These organizations recruit candidates, teach them how to run, connect them with interest groups, and assist their campaigns.
What are parties?
Your property tax bill depends on the home value set by this official.
Who is an assessor?
Campaigns must follow these laws, which regulate how money can be raised and spent.
What are campaign-finance laws?
This is the term for a candidate trying to defeat the incumbent.
Who is a challenger?
This gerrymandering technique concentrates many opposing voters into a small number of districts.
What is packing?
A local candidate who benefits from a high-profile same-party candidate on the ballot is "riding" these.
What is the coattail effect?
This official investigates sudden, unexplained, or suspicious deaths.
Who is a coroner?
Candidate, political, and district/state are the three types of these that influence election outcomes.
What are factors?
In this type of race, no incumbent is running.
What is an open seat?
This technique spreads opposing voters across multiple districts to reduce their influence.
What is cracking?
Recent research says term-limited offices may contribute to this by attracting ideologically extreme candidates.
What is polarization?
This type of commissioner regulates electricity, gas, and water companies, often approving the rates they charge.
Who is the Public Utilities Commissioner?