ABSENTEE BALLOT

a vote cast (usually via mail) by someone who is unable to visit the official polling station on election day.
The allowance of absentee ballots is regarded by some as an effective way to improve voter turnout. Some jurisdictions require that a valid reason be proven, such as sickness or travel, before a voter is granted an absentee ballot.

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In the news… Woodbury County flooded with absentee ballot requests (Sioux City Journal, 9/11/12)

NASCAR DAD

a member of a demographic group-usually a working class, high school-educated father with relatively conservative values and unpredictable voting behavior. The name refers to the stereotype that this group tends to enjoy NASCAR and other high-energy sports/entertainment

In the news…
Romney tries a retool with NASCAR race fans (Reuters, 9/9/12)

AARDVARKING

The practice of recruiting political candidates for lower office whose last names start with the letter, A (or another letter early in the alphabet). This practice is based on the theory that in low profile elections voters will tend to support whichever candidate has a name (first or last) that falls noticeably earliest in the alphabet.

FARLEY’S LAW

the common political wisdom that in a presidential election voters will have made their choice by mid-October