On Election Day, American citizens will cast their votes for president. This popular vote does not decide who becomes president, however. That is decided by the electoral vote—or the votes cast by members of the Electoral College.

Click here to learn more about the Electoral College.

States with a large number of undecided voters are known as battleground states because candidates tend to campaign hard there, fighting for every vote. You may also hear these states called swing states. They are very important to determining the overall result of a presidential election.

Election maps are often color-coded. Red states are states that tend to vote Republican, while blue states tend to vote Democratic. Battleground states are sometimes referred to as purple states.

States that typically vote Republican are known as red states. States that typically vote Democratic are known as blue states. And states with a large number of undecided voters are known as battleground states. Why? Candidates tend to campaign hard there and fight for every vote. You may also hear these states called swing states. They are very important to deciding the overall result of a presidential election.

Two words you might often hear this election season are liberals and conservatives. What’s the difference?

Liberals generally think the government should take an active role in regulating business and solving social issues. They tend to vote Democratic.

Conservatives generally think the government should play a limited role in regulating business and making social reforms. They tend to vote Republican.

Sometimes candidates make public statements that don’t go as planned. That’s where spin comes in. A candidate’s campaign staff will try to spin what was said—or make the negative seem like a positive. Skillful spinners are known as spin doctors.

Sometimes candidates make public statements that don’t go as planned, or something happens that makes them look bad. That’s where spin comes in. A candidate’s campaign staff or other officials will try to spin—or reinterpret—the event to make the negative seem like a positive. Skillful spinners are known as spin doctors.

A political party is a group of voters who have similar ideas on how the country should be run. The Democrats and the Republicans are the two major U.S. political parties. A third-party candidate is anyone who runs for office as part of any other group.

Today, almost all elected officials are Democrats or Republicans. However, there are many other parties. All of them are known as third parties. These parties are much smaller and don’t have as much money as the Republicans and the Democrats. As a result, no third-party candidate has ever had a real chance of becoming president.

During election season, you may hear the terms blue-collar and white-collar. These are shorthand for types of workers.

Blue-collar workers are people who typically are paid by the hour to do factory work or some type of manual labor. 

White-collar workers are those who generally receive a regular salary for doing office or administrative work. 

The color references come from a time when people who did manual labor often wore blue work shirts, while office workers wore white shirts with neckties and jackets. The two groups often have different views on key issues, particularly social and economic ones. The trick for candidates is to appeal to both without upsetting either.

In presidential campaigns, a great deal of money is spent on TV, radio, and online ads. These ads are designed to appeal to people’s emotions as much as their minds.

An attack ad is an ad that says something negative—sometimes even nasty—about another candidate. Both voters and candidates say they don’t like attack ads. So why do we keep seeing them? Because this type of ad seems to work!

A third-party candidate is anyone who runs for office and isn’t affiliated with one of the two major U.S. political parties. 

America is said to have a two-party system because the Democrats and the Republicans have dominated U.S. politics since the mid-1800s. Today, almost all elected officials are members of one of those two parties. However, there are many other parties, all of which are known as third parties. These parties are much smaller and not as well-funded as the Republicans and the Democrats. As a result, no third-party candidate has ever had a real chance of becoming president.

In recent years, the Libertarian Party has been one of the biggest third parties. Its goals are to expand freedoms for individuals and to limit the power of the federal government. Another third party is the Green Party. It focuses on helping the environment.

An incumbent is the person currently holding an office or position. Trump is currently holding the office of president.

The popular vote is the votes cast by American citizens on Election Day. (The world popular comes from the Latin term populus, meaning “the people.”) In U.S. presidential elections, the popular vote refers to the total number of votes cast for each candidate.

However, the popular vote does not determine who becomes president. That is decided by the electoral vote—the votes cast by members of the Electoral College.

Click here to learn more about the Electoral College.