Word Power: Test Your Knowledge of These Canadian Election Terms
Updated: Oct. 29, 2020
A strong grasp of election terminology gives power to the people. See if you can pick out the winning definitions.
Barnstorm
A: Tour an area for a campaign
B: Dominate the rural vote
C: Speak at length on tangential topics
Answer: A—Tour an area for a campaign
As in, “The party leader barnstormed the province’s northern towns.”
Manifesto
A: Handshake photo op
B: Public declaration of aims
C: Figurehead
Answer: B—Public declaration of aims
As in, “Lord Buckethead, a satirical candidate in Britain, published a manifesto proposing to nationalize the singer Adele.”
Muckraker
A: Politician who purposely sows division
B: Official opposition
C: Someone who seeks and publicizes scandals
Answer: C—Someone who seeks and publicizes scandals
As in, “A muckraker discovered the leading candidate’s marriage was in trouble.”
Grassroots
A: Of ordinary people
B: Fundamentalist
C: Prioritizing the environment
Answer: A—Of ordinary people
As in, “Black Lives Matter is a grassroots movement with no formal hierarchy.”
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First past the post
A: System in which the candidate with the most votes wins
B: Survey taken as voters leave the polling station
C: Opening debate question
Answer: A—System in which the candidate with the most votes wins
As in, “If there are more than two options, first past the post can result in leadership supported by a minority of voters.”
Incumbent
A: Income distribution within a riding or district
B: Person holding an office
C: Debate moderator
Answer: B—Person holding an office
As in, “The Canadian House of Commons has a transition program to help defeated incumbents find other jobs.”
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Psephology—study of
A: Voting-machine design
B: Elections
C: Persuasion
Answer: B—Study of elections
As in, “After founding a psephology website, Éric Grenier was hired by the CBC.”
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Caucus
A: Rowdy discussion
B: A party’s elected members
C: Coalition government
Answer: B—A party’s elected members
As in, “The MP voiced her concerns at a caucus meeting behind closed doors.”
Turnout
A: Exposé
B: Politician who switches party allegiance
C: Percentage of registered voters who cast ballots
Answer: C—Amount of registered voters who cast ballots
As in, “Turnout at Quebec’s 1995 referendum was 93.5 per cent.”
Dark horse
A: Little-known candidate achieving surprising success
B: Controversial legislation
C: Black limousine
Answer: A—Little-known candidate achieving surprising success
As in, “Stéphane Dion was a dark horse for the Liberal leadership.”
Canvass
A: Suppress votes
B: Compare political platforms
C: Solicit votes
Answer: C—Solicit votes
As in, “The campaign office organized teams to canvass each street.”
Proportional representation
A: Designating seats for members of minority groups
B: System where parties gain seats in proportion to their votes
C: Giving shorter speaking times to smaller parties
Answer: B—System where parties gain seats in proportion to their votes
As in, “British Columbia has rejected proportional representation three times.”
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Suffrage
A: Persecution
B: Tax hike
C: Right to vote
Answer: C—Right to vote
As in, “Although the Inuit gained federal suffrage in 1950, few ballot boxes were placed in Inuit communities before 1962.”
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Acclamation
A: Victory because there is only one candidate
B: Voting by calling out “Aye” or “Nay”
C: Voter apathy
Answer: A—Victory because there is only one candidate
As in, “In 2012, six of Saskatchewan’s mayors won by acclamation.”
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Sortition
A: Selecting public officials by lottery
B: Making a voting decision
C: Spoiling a ballot
Answer: A—Selecting politicians by lottery
As in, “Practiced in Ancient Athens, sortition has present-day supporters.”
Next, test your knowledge of these Canadian slang terms.
