swing voters
Persuadable electorate members
Swing voters are people whose votes aren't reliably committed to one political party, making them persuadable targets during elections.
In close races, campaigns focus heavily on swing voters in battleground states, since partisan bases are already locked in: Both candidates spent the final weeks courting swing voters in Pennsylvania.
Also called undecided voters or independents.
Reduces intensity or extremity
- independentsUnaffiliated persons or entities
- centristsPolitical middle-dwellers
- nonpartisanNot aligned politically
- unaffiliatedNot formally connected
middle-ground · bipartisan · cross-over · suburban · apolitical · disaffected · pragmatic · floating
Not having chosen
- fence-sittersPeople refusing to choose
- persuadableAble to be convinced
- uncommittedNot bound to anything
- waveringShowing unsteady resolve
vacillating · hesitant · ambivalent · tentative · dithering · indecisive · torn · conflicted
Quick to conclude
- pivotalVitally important, deciding
- kingmakersThose who decide leadership
- bellwetherTrend-setting leader
- criticalExpressing disapproval or importance
game-changing · battleground · margin of victory · crucial · determinative · contested · competitive · deciders
Organized efforts toward goals
- pollingSystematic opinion gathering
- focus groupsGuided consumer feedback sessions
- microtargetingTailored messaging to specific segments
- outreachProactive community assistance
canvassing · persuasion · messaging · advertising · mailers · ground game · data analytics · demographics
Erratically disloyal in affection
- volatileLiable to sudden change
- unpredictableCannot be anticipated
- changeableCapable of alteration
- fluidSubstance that flows
shifting · fluctuating · mercurial · inconstant · variable · erratic · mutable · unreliable
moderates
Reduces intensity or extremity
- independentsUnaffiliated persons or entities
- centristsPolitical middle-dwellers
- nonpartisanNot aligned politically
unaffiliated · middle-ground · bipartisan · cross-over · suburban · apolitical · disaffected · pragmatic · floating · crossbenchers
undecided
Not having chosen
- fence-sittersPeople refusing to choose
- persuadableAble to be convinced
- uncommittedNot bound to anything
wavering · vacillating · hesitant · ambivalent · tentative · dithering · indecisive · torn · conflicted · uncertain
decisive
Quick to conclude
- pivotalVitally important, deciding
- kingmakersThose who decide leadership
- bellwetherTrend-setting leader
critical · game-changing · battleground · margin of victory · crucial · determinative · contested · competitive · deciders
campaigns
Organized efforts toward goals
- pollingSystematic opinion gathering
- focus groupsGuided consumer feedback sessions
- microtargetingTailored messaging to specific segments
outreach · canvassing · persuasion · messaging · advertising · mailers · ground game · data analytics · demographics · turnout
fickle
Erratically disloyal in affection
- volatileLiable to sudden change
- unpredictableCannot be anticipated
- changeableCapable of alteration
fluid · shifting · fluctuating · mercurial · inconstant · variable · erratic · mutable · unreliable · capricious
- campaign jargonstump speech, talking points, sound bites, soundbite, soundbites
- UK electionsballot, general elections, general election, by-election, candidate
- votersvoter, registered voter, eligible voter, likely voter, independent voter
- Political Factionsconservatives, Republicans, right wing, far right, hard right
- electionsballot, ballots, voter registration, candidates, polls
- politicsdemocracy, campaigning, campaigns, democrats, bill
swing votersbase voters
A party's staunchest supporters
party faithful · true believers · ideologues · single-issue voters · primary voters
swing, swinging, swung, voters, swings, swinger, swingable, swing state, swing voter