Voting is important for every American citizen. Voting gives the people an opportunity to choose who leads the country. If people do not vote, then democracy does not work. Even though voting is extremely important, it can also be extremely intimidating. New voters may see some of the terminology and back down. Today I will break down some of the most confusing voting terms and make the voting process a little bit easier. Mrs. Rosenblatt, a teacher at Coral Glades High School, said, “I think it’s really important because each person has the power to make his or her voice heard, and voting is the way to express that in this country.”
The first term is a ballot. A ballot is a device used for voters to cast their vote. These ballots are used to count votes on election day. Voters can cast their ballot by mail or at a polling station.
The next term is the Electoral College. Despite its name, the Electoral College is not a place but a process. This process includes selecting electors, meeting the electors who cast votes for Vice President and President, and counting electors’ votes by Congress. The Electoral College is made up of 538 electors as of August 2024. Each state has a certain number of electors. The candidate with the most electoral votes wins the presidential election.
Another term is gerrymandering. Gerrymandering is when a person of authority manipulates electoral district boundaries in order to benefit a political party. Redistricting is when congressional and state legislative districts are changed every 10 years to make sure they are equal in population. Gerrymandering is when redistricting occurs in an unequal way. It usually targets race, political belief, religion, and age.
The fourth term is Incumbent. The incumbent is the current holder of the position who is running to be re-elected. For example, if you are running for mayor of Coral Springs, you must beat the incumbent.
The term primary election is the election to choose the candidates for each party. This election is where candidates from the same party are narrowed down. This election determines who will run in the general election.
Caucus is a term for private meetings run by state political parties. During caucuses, party members choose who they want to represent them and the interests of the party in upcoming elections.
A swing state is a state where the two main political parties have similar support. This means that each candidate has around an equal chance of winning that state’s vote. They are called swing states because they have ‘swung’ back and forth between the two parties. These states have major influence on who wins the election. The swing states this election are Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Nevada, Michigan, Georgia, and Arizona.
Coral Glades Junior Matthew Tabares says, “I turn 18 next year, and I used to be so nervous to vote, but then I started doing my research, and now I can’t wait to vote in upcoming local and nationwide elections.” Hopefully, some of these terms will provide more clarification for future voters and provide encouragement to do what people in this country have been fighting for since the U.S. Constitution was signed in 1787.
