Pump Up Your PowerWords

VoterVirgin encourages you to master your election lingo. Come to terms with your desire to be a political cunning linguist. Practice these *PowerWord* exercises until they roll off your tongue. It's not hard. Really.

Absentee ballot*: A paper ballot issued by the state that you can fill out and mail in. Has the popular benefit of providing a verifiable receipt and increasing voter confidence. Available in most states. See rules that apply. *shaping up to be the hot way to vote this election.

Bond election: Agent 007 never worried about money, but your community gets to vote on how you will invest funds in a bond election. More roads? Improve the schools? You decide.

Election Judge: A volunteer who is trained to oversee polling places on election day. These judges do not have the power to sentence you to prison. You too can be an election judge. Who better to make sure things work smoothly? Also, polling place worker: one who assists voters during the election.

Exit Poll: The voter's opinion after they cast their ballot. Usually captured by pollsters with clipboards outside the polling places. Not an official part of the election and debatably reliable, exit polls are controversial because they seem to influence late Western voters before they vote (time difference/space/tv continuim).

Gubertonorial: Your governor is a guber and everything your governor does is gubertonorial. Mine too.

Incumbent: The candidate up for re-election. The public servant you can hold to their record because they should be serving you already.

Polling place: Where you go to vote. It can be in a school, a church, a grocery store, or even a neighbor's garage. Polling places must be listed by your county and can usually be found in local newspapers or on line. You can recognize a polling place by all the campaign signs placed exactly as close to the door as legally allowed.

Provisional ballot: If you are denied the right to vote, you are allowed to request a provisional ballot that will be counted should you qualify later as a legitimate voter. These are usually paper ballots that are sealed until a final decision is made. Available at a polling place near you as needed.

Safe Voting: A practical method for ensuring a safe, pleasant. voting experience: know your rights, protect yourself, and know who you are voting for. While there is no 100% guarantee that you will not be disappointed, by practicing safe voting you can be sure to reduce any risk of catching a voting transmitted dis-ease.

Curious? Is there an election PowerWord you want to have defined? Go ahead, you know you want to ask........