Election Jargon Buster (Part Two)

Yesterday we posted the first part of our General Election Jargon Buster. Please find part two below!
Remember if we have missed anything off please let us know!

Polling station – This is where people go to vote. These are normally schools or community centres.

Prime Minister – This is the person who runs the country. He is the leader of the party who wins the election or who has the most votes in a coalition government. The current Prime Minister is David Cameron. (Conservative Party)

Deputy Prime Minister – This is the person who is “second in command” and steps in for the Prime Minister if they are otherwise engaged. The current Deputy Prime Minister is Nick Clegg. (Liberal Democrats)

Chancellor – also known as Chancellor of the Exchequer. This is the person who is in charge of finance for the country and works for the Treasury. The current Chancellor is George Osbourne (Conservative Party)

Manifesto – This is the name for the all the policies each party lays out before an election. These polices are effectively what the party say they will do if they are voted into power.

Party – This is the name given to each group who are looking to gain power in the election. There are many parties in the UK each with its own policies.

Ballot – This is how people vote in the election. It is a secret vote where people choose who they want to vote for on a slip of paper and post it into a ballot box. The results of the ballot across the country determine who will win the election and run the country.

General Election – A General Election is the name given to the national vote to decide which party will be the government in power and run the country.

By-election – This is a special election held to fill a vacant position outside of a general election. This usually happens due to death in post, retirement etc. of a member of parliament.

Constituency – This is the name given to an area or group of people who are voting. A constituency is generally a local area and each constituency votes for its own MP. This in turn leads to the party with the most MP’s winning the election.

Electoral register – This is the list of people in the UK who are entitled to vote in the general election.

Landslide – This is when there is an extremely large majority of votes for a single party or candidate in an election.

Majority – This is when a party or candidate has more votes than the other candidates or parties.

Opposition – This is the name given to the party with the 2^nd most votes in a general election after the ruling party or coalition.

Referendum – This is the name given to a vote on a single issue. Recently there was referendum for Scotland to see if they wanted to stay in the UK or not. It is a separate vote from the general election and is usually a promise made by parties on serious issues.

Suffrage – This basically means the right to vote. The true definition of the term would be the right to vote gained through democratic process but if you think of it as purely the right to vote it is easier to remember.

Universal suffrage – Where suffrage means the right to vote, universal suffrage in turn means the right to vote for all adult citizens. This is regardless of race, gender, religious views, wealth or social class. In the UK universal suffrage came about through social and political changes in the early 20^th century including the Suffragette movement who were women, mainly members of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), campaigning for the right to vote for women in the UK.