Glossary of Terms

Accountability: The relationship between government and citizens. Acknowledgment and assumption of responsibility for decisions, actions, and policies, in light of agree expectations, such as an agreement between an elected official and his/her constituents.

Advocacy: A process of influencing discussion, procedures and policies of government.  This process, usually guided by civil society and citizens, is a set of organized strategic actions over a period of time directed at bringing about change through political participation to address issues.  Advocacy campaigns could be organized to encourage change such as demanding access to information, exerting pressure to ensure accountability and transparency, and drawing public official’s attention to problems in democratic institutions.

Bias: A leaning in favor of or against something or someone; partiality or prejudice.

Citizen Journalism: The act of non-professionals participating in the collecting, reporting, analysis, and dissemination of news and information.  Citizen journalism incorporates a variety of mediums including blogging, SMS or text messaging, twitter, photography, video and traditional news pieces.

Civic Journalism: Professional media that has focused on putting the interest of citizens above that of politicians and journalists.  It is based on the understanding that journalists have a fundamental responsibility for strengthening civic culture and democracy.  Civic journalism seeks to listen to how citizens frame their problems and what citizens see as solutions to the problems.

Civil Liberties: Protections for the power of governments.  Examples include freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and trial by jury.  Civil liberties are usually protected by a constitution.

Civil Society: Refers to all sorts of voluntary collective activities organized around shared interests, values and objectives.  These civil society activities can be very divers and may include providing services, supporting independent education, or affecting public policy.  I the last example, citizens may come together outside of government to inform, bring pressure to bear on, or reinforce policies (punish or reward policy makers).

Commission: A formal group of experts brought together on a regular or ad hoc basis to debate matters within that sphere of expertise, and with regulatory or quasi-judicial powers such as the ability to license activity or to subpoena witnesses. Commissions usually also have advisory powers to the government. The organizational form of a commission is often resorted to by governments to exhaustively investigate a matter of national concern, and is often known as a “commission of inquiry.” This legal structure can be contrasted with a council, the latter not enjoying quasi-judicial or regulatory powers.

Conflict of Interest: A situation in which someone in a position of trust or authority, has competing professional or personal interests, which can make it difficult to fulfill duties impartially. A conflict of interest exists even if no unethical or improper act results from it and can create an appearance of impropriety that can undermine confidence in the person/position/office. For example, if a board of directors or staff of a civic organization or campaign take actions in the name of the organization or coalition for personal interest of the interests of a third party. Clear guidelines spelled out in bylaws and memoranda of understandings serve to prevent actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest.

Credibility: The positive or negative view citizens have of a civic organization or campaign. Credibility may be generated in a number of ways, including a track record of proven action, prestige in a community as a result of familial or ethnic ties, or other types of seniority such as age or gender. By creating contrast through outreach and effective message development, campaigns can use the message to raise their credibility, lower their opponents’ credibility, or both.

Democracy: Political system in which the people share in directing the activities of the state, as distinct from governments controlled by a single class, select group, or autocrat. The definition of democracy has been expanded to describe a philosophy that insists on the right and the capacity of a people, acting either directly or through representatives, to control their institutions for their own purposes.

Disenfranchise: Explicit or implicit revocation of, or failure to grant, the right to vote to a person or a group of people.

Districting: Generally, the process of marking off or dividing into districts – for example, into electoral districts for the purpose of electing representatives to a legislature.

Election Monitoring: Gathering of information regarding and electoral process by an organization which is not inherently authorized to intervene in the process.  Unbiased accredited persons, domestic or international, participate to detect any fraud or cheating in the electoral process.

Election Monitor/Observer: Accredited person participating in election observation.  Can be domestic or international.

Electoral Commission: The individuals responsible for ensuring the fair and impartial conduct of elections described under the electoral law, managing the operations of the electoral commission to achieve objectives and meet all legislative and reporting responsibilities; maintaining accurate electoral rolls; promoting public awareness of electoral practices through education and information programs; conducting research on electoral matters;and providing advice on electoral matters to members of the legislature, political parties, and others.The individual response.

Electoral List/Electoral Roll/Voter’s List: A list of names and other relevant details of persons who meet the eligibility requirements to vote.  This list is used as a control document during the voting process.

Exit Polls: A poll taken of a sample of voters as they leave a polling place, used especially to predict the outcome of an election or determine the opinions and characteristics of the candidates’ supporters.

Free and Fair Elections: The definition of a free and fair election is about more than just a smooth technical process, but also includes the respect for basic civil and political rights, such as freedom of expression, of movement, of association, and assembly; as well as the absence of barriers to the full participation of all citizens, without any form of discrimination; the absence of any form of intimidation; and the compliance overall with the rule of law.

GOTV/Get Out the Vote: The term used to remind voters to go to the polls and vote for you candidate.  Often a campaign will expend a considerable amount of effort just before election day to make sure that your supporters turn out and vote.

Governance: The act of affecting government and monitoring (through policy) the long-term strategy and direction of an organization.  In general, governance comprises the traditions, institutions and processes that determine how power is exercised, how citizens are given a voice, and how decisions are made on issues of public concern.

Human Rights: The rights people are entitled to simply because they are human beings, irrespective of their citizenship, nationality, race, ethnicity, language, sex, sexuality, or ability.  Human rights become enforceable when they are codified as conventions, covenants or treaties, or as they become recognized as customary international law.

Impartiality/Nonpartisanship: Dealing with matters in a fair and unbiased manner.  It is the operational expression of neutrality.

Jurisdiction: The geographical area over which a court of government body has the power and right to exercise authority.

Local Election: An election held in a particular locality to choose between candidates or to vote on ballot measures.

Material Resources: Tangible assets such as money, equipment, modes of communication, and transportation.  One of three interlinked resources (including human resources and time) essential to consider in any planning of an advocacy campaign or other civic action.

Mission Statement: A written statement explaining the main purpose of the civic organization, coalition, or advocacy campaign and what it aims to accomplish.

Mobilization: Process of organizing and motivating citizens to take part in civic organizing, including public advocacy campaigns, elections, or community activities.

Network/Networking: Communication structure within which individuals or groups share values or advocate policy changes/Process by which new relationships are built to raise awareness about an organization, issue, or process.  Networking is an essential component of an advocacy campaign, to build momentum and encourage broader participation in the process.

Non-Partisan: An organization that is not developed or directed by government bodies, often having non-profit status, whose work focuses on strengthening political processes and institutions. They work to create more political space and increase the potential and quality if citizen participation. NGOs are legally registered CSOs with formal rights and responsibilities, and a binding formal governance structure. See also Non-Profit Organization and Civil Society Organization. When something relates to all political parties or no particular political parties. A non-partisan election is one in which candidates are not affiliated with particular parties and their party is not listed on the ballot. A non-partisan organization is one that associates with either no political parties or many different political parties, avoiding the association with one particular party.

Outreach: Effort by individuals in an organization or group to connect its ideas or practices to the efforts of the organizations, groups, specific audiences, or the general public.  Outreach is a fundamental component of and successful civic campaign.

PVTs (Parallel Voter Tallying ): Provides an independent verification of election results. To conduct a sound PVT, a random statistical-based sample of polling stations are drawn. Trained volunteers from civil society are deployed to polling stations to observe and record all aspects of the voting and counting process. This information, including the official polling stations vote count results, is then sent to a central collection point where the data is used to evaluate the overall quality of the election day proceedings and to project, or verify, official results based on precise analysis of polling center data.

Political Culture: The sum of attitudes, beliefs, and expectations that constitute particular orientations toward society in general and politics in particular.

Political Landscape: The environment in which the program will be launched, particularly in reference to the various people involved in politics in the area.

Political Participation: Right of all adults of either gender to vote; the right to form or participate in activities of political parties; and the right to free, fair, and regular elections for legislative bodies.

Polling Place: An officially-assigned location where voters go to cast their ballots under the authority of election officials.

Press Conference: An event planned by the campaign to which the press is invited with the purpose of providing information about the campaign or on a particular issue.

Press Release: Information provided by the campaign to media outlets presenting the candidates position on a particular issue or event.  Press releases are often written in the form of a news story.

Referendum: The legal process of submitting to the voters for their approval or rejection of proposed state or local laws or constitutional amendments.

Reform: Change intended to improve a current system by correcting faults, removing inconsistencies and abuses, and imposing modern values or methods.  Reform is not a revolution, but seeks incremental change.

Stakeholder: A person or group with a direct interest, involvement, or investment in a particular issue.

Stakeholder Analysis: Research of the problems and interest of members of a certain community which politicians or civic groups may wish to influence or engage.  Such an analysis is a common first step in designing civic society initiatives.

Strategy: The approach, written into the project plan, of what the project will do from the beginning to the end.

SWOT Analysis: An analysis tool focusing on the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats in the immediate political environment.  Conducting this activity helps a civic organization understand constraints and resources when planning strategies and activities.

Tactics: A procedure or set of maneuvers engaged in to achieve an end, an aim, or a goal.

Target Audience: Citizens or groups who the organization or initiative believes are most likely to be influenced by information and thus can provide support or take desired actions.

Transparency: In political and civic life, transparency is the opposite of privacy; an activity is transparent if all information about it is freely available.  Transparency implies that citizens must be able to “see through” its workings, to know exactly what goes on when public officials, CSOs, or campaign activists transact business.  This concept is often the focus, directly or indirectly, of civic advocacy campaigns towards government reform.

Vision: Vivid description of the sort of change a civil society organization or advocacy campaign aims to achieve. The vision statement serves to both motivate members and also to recruit new supporters.

For more terms see NDI’s English-Arabic Election Glossary