People talk a lot during elections. They use many special phrases to explain what’s happening. These phrases are called idioms. Idioms are fun expressions that don’t mean exactly what the words say. For example, “throw your hat in the ring” doesn’t mean tossing a real hat. It means someone wants to join the race, like running for president.
Learning idioms about elections helps us understand how people feel and talk during voting time. These idioms can show excitement, competition, or surprise. In this article, we’ll explore idioms that people use when talking about elections. You might hear them on TV, in school, or at home. Let’s find out what they mean and how to use them.
Idioms About Elections
1. Throw your hat in the ring
Meaning: To decide to run for election
Example Sentence:
– Mike threw his hat in the ring and ran for student council president.
– She threw her hat in the ring for class treasurer.
Other ways to say: Join the race, enter the contest
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from boxing, where fighters tossed their hats into the ring to challenge others.
Usage: Used when someone announces they want to compete in an election.
2. Landslide victory
Meaning: To win by a large number of votes
Example Sentence:
– Sarah won the class vote in a landslide victory.
– The mayor had a landslide win in the city election.
Other ways to say: Big win, total sweep
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from how a landslide sweeps everything away, like votes in a big win.
Usage: Used when someone wins an election by a huge margin.
3. On the campaign trail
Meaning: Traveling and speaking to get support before an election
Example Sentence:
– The governor is on the campaign trail this month.
– Our school president gave speeches on the campaign trail.
Other ways to say: Promoting yourself, running for office
Fun Fact/Origin: Refers to the path candidates take to meet voters.
Usage: Used when someone is working hard to get votes.
4. Cast your vote
Meaning: To vote in an election
Example Sentence:
– Everyone in class cast their vote for the new snack leader.
– I will cast my vote for the person with the best ideas.
Other ways to say: Vote, make your choice
Fun Fact/Origin: “Cast” means to throw or place, like putting your vote in a box.
Usage: Used when talking about the act of voting.
5. Running mate
Meaning: A person who runs for office with someone, like president and vice president
Example Sentence:
– Mia picked Jake as her running mate for class president.
– The candidate chose a smart running mate to help win.
Other ways to say: Teammate, partner
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from horse races where two horses run together.
Usage: Used when two people team up in an election.
6. Swing state
Meaning: A place where either side could win
Example Sentence:
– Our state is a swing state, so both sides are trying hard.
– Swing states often decide who wins the big elections.
Other ways to say: Battleground state, toss-up state
Fun Fact/Origin: These states can “swing” to either party.
Usage: Used when a place is not clearly for one side.
7. Go to the polls
Meaning: To go vote
Example Sentence:
– My parents go to the polls every election.
– Students went to the polls to choose the new club leader.
Other ways to say: Vote, show up to vote
Fun Fact/Origin: “Polls” are where people go to vote.
Usage: Used when talking about showing up to vote.
8. Grassroots campaign
Meaning: A campaign started by regular people
Example Sentence:
– The new rule change came from a grassroots campaign.
– Their team began a grassroots effort to clean the park.
Other ways to say: People-powered movement, local effort
Fun Fact/Origin: “Grassroots” means starting from the ground level, like real grass.
Usage: Used when a campaign begins with everyday people.
9. Spin doctor
Meaning: A person who tries to make bad news sound good
Example Sentence:
– The spin doctor made the mistake seem like a win.
– He worked as a spin doctor during the campaign.
Other ways to say: PR expert, message fixer
Fun Fact/Origin: “Spin” means to twist the story.
Usage: Used when someone makes news sound better.
10. Throw under the bus
Meaning: To blame someone to save yourself
Example Sentence:
– He threw his friend under the bus to win votes.
– She didn’t speak up and threw her team under the bus.
Other ways to say: Blame others, sell out
Fun Fact/Origin: Imagine someone being pushed in front of a bus to take the hit.
Usage: Used when someone blames a teammate to look better.
11. Get out the vote
Meaning: To encourage people to vote
Example Sentence:
– Volunteers helped get out the vote on election day.
– The group made signs to get out the vote.
Other ways to say: Remind people to vote, voter push
Fun Fact/Origin: Used in campaigns to get as many people to vote as possible.
Usage: Used when encouraging others to participate in elections.
12. Stump speech
Meaning: A repeated speech used while campaigning
Example Sentence:
– He gave his stump speech in every class.
– The same stump speech was used in each school club.
Other ways to say: Standard speech, main message
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from old times when people stood on tree stumps to speak.
Usage: Used when a candidate gives the same speech in many places.
13. Front runner
Meaning: The person likely to win
Example Sentence:
– Olivia is the front runner in the class election.
– The front runner had the most posters and votes.
Other ways to say: Leader, top choice
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from horse racing—the horse in front.
Usage: Used when someone is ahead in a race or election.
14. Dark horse
Meaning: A surprise candidate who might win
Example Sentence:
– No one expected Sam to win, but he was a dark horse.
– She came out of nowhere like a dark horse.
Other ways to say: Unexpected winner, surprise candidate
Fun Fact/Origin: Another horse race term for a hidden winner.
Usage: Used for someone who wasn’t expected to win.
15. Political hot potato
Meaning: A tricky issue no one wants to handle
Example Sentence:
– That new rule became a political hot potato at school.
– The lunch change was a hot potato topic.
Other ways to say: Hard issue, touchy subject
Fun Fact/Origin: Like a hot potato, it’s something people drop quickly.
Usage: Used when people avoid talking about a problem.
16. Walk a tightrope
Meaning: To try to balance carefully between two sides
Example Sentence:
– The candidate had to walk a tightrope to keep both sides happy.
– She walked a tightrope between the two friend groups during the vote.
Other ways to say: Be careful, balance opinions
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from circus acts where performers walk on ropes high up.
Usage: Used when someone must act carefully in a tricky situation.
17. Toe the party line
Meaning: To follow the rules or opinions of your group
Example Sentence:
– He didn’t like the rule, but he toed the party line.
– They all had to toe the party line during the election.
Other ways to say: Follow the rules, stay in line
Fun Fact/Origin: Originally used in the military, meaning to stand in line exactly.
Usage: Used when someone agrees with their group even if they disagree.
18. Political football
Meaning: A serious issue used for winning points, not solving
Example Sentence:
– The dress code became a political football in the school election.
– Homework rules were turned into a political football.
Other ways to say: Tricky issue, used for gain
Fun Fact/Origin: Like tossing a football around without scoring—just passing blame.
Usage: Used when a real issue is used as a tool for arguments.
19. Mudslinging
Meaning: Saying bad things about others during a campaign
Example Sentence:
– The campaign turned ugly with lots of mudslinging.
– Mudslinging made the student vote less fun.
Other ways to say: Badmouthing, attacking
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from the idea of throwing mud to make someone look dirty.
Usage: Used when candidates say mean things about each other.
20. Rally the base
Meaning: To excite your supporters
Example Sentence:
– The candidate gave a speech to rally the base.
– Posters and cheers helped rally the base.
Other ways to say: Pump up supporters, energize fans
Fun Fact/Origin: “Base” means your group of loyal voters.
Usage: Used when trying to get your main group excited to vote.
21. Ballot box
Meaning: The place where people cast their vote
Example Sentence:
– Students dropped their votes in the ballot box.
– The ballot box was set up near the library.
Other ways to say: Voting box, vote collector
Fun Fact/Origin: Ballots are small slips of paper used to vote.
Usage: Used when talking about where votes are placed.
22. Red state / Blue state
Meaning: A state that usually votes Republican (red) or Democrat (blue)
Example Sentence:
– Texas is often called a red state.
– California is known as a blue state.
Other ways to say: Party-supporting state
Fun Fact/Origin: These colors became standard in the 2000 U.S. election.
Usage: Used to describe voting trends by color.
23. Cross the aisle
Meaning: To work with the other political side
Example Sentence:
– She crossed the aisle to support the idea.
– They crossed the aisle to work on the new school rule.
Other ways to say: Work together, reach out
Fun Fact/Origin: Refers to the aisle that divides parties in Congress.
Usage: Used when people cooperate with an opposing group.
24. Party platform
Meaning: A group’s main ideas and plans
Example Sentence:
– Their party platform included longer recess.
– The candidate’s platform promised better snacks.
Other ways to say: Plan, list of goals
Fun Fact/Origin: “Platform” means a base to stand on—these ideas are the base.
Usage: Used to describe the beliefs and goals of a candidate or group.
25. Grassroots movement
Meaning: A movement started by ordinary people, not leaders
Example Sentence:
– The playground clean-up started as a grassroots movement.
– Students led a grassroots movement to add more library books.
Other ways to say: Community start, bottom-up group
Fun Fact/Origin: “Grassroots” refers to starting from the ground up.
Usage: Used when regular people start something important.
26. Raise eyebrows
Meaning: To surprise or shock people
Example Sentence:
– His speech raised eyebrows during the debate.
– Choosing a new lunch menu raised a few eyebrows.
Other ways to say: Surprise people, shock others
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from the face reaction when someone is surprised.
Usage: Used when something is unexpected or controversial.
27. Put your name on the ballot
Meaning: To officially enter the election
Example Sentence:
– Jake put his name on the ballot for class vice president.
– She finally put her name on the ballot after thinking it over.
Other ways to say: Enter the race, run for office
Fun Fact/Origin: The ballot is the official list of candidates.
Usage: Used when someone decides to run in an election.
28. Behind closed doors
Meaning: Done in secret, not seen by the public
Example Sentence:
– The rules were changed behind closed doors.
– They made that choice behind closed doors.
Other ways to say: In secret, privately
Fun Fact/Origin: Refers to meetings where doors are shut so no one else hears.
Usage: Used when decisions are made without others knowing.
Quiz: Idioms About Elections
Instructions: Read each question and the answer choices carefully. Pick the letter that best matches the meaning of the phrase or expression.
Question Key
1. What does it mean to “throw your hat in the ring”?
A) Take off your hat in school
B) Start a sports team
C) Join an election race
2. If someone wins in a “landslide victory,” what happened?
A) They lost by one vote
B) They won by a lot of votes
C) They didn’t finish the election
3. What is a “dark horse” in an election?
A) A favorite to win
B) A surprise candidate
C) A rule in voting
4. What does it mean to “toe the party line”?
A) Create your own rules
B) Follow your group’s rules
C) Start a new party
5. If someone is on the “campaign trail,” what are they doing?
A) Taking a hike
B) Giving speeches to get votes
C) Making new rules
6. What does “mudslinging” mean during elections?
A) Playing in the mud
B) Saying bad things about others
C) Throwing mud at people
7. What does it mean to “cast your vote”?
A) Throw something into water
B) Watch an election
C) Vote in an election
8. If people are working to “get out the vote,” what are they doing?
A) Trying to cancel the election
B) Helping others go vote
C) Taking votes away
9. What does “behind closed doors” mean?
A) In front of the class
B) Out in the open
C) In secret
10. What is a “swing state”?
A) A state where kids swing
B) A place where either side could win
C) A place where voting isn’t allowed
Answer Key
- C) Join an election race
- B) They won by a lot of votes
- B) A surprise candidate
- B) Follow your group’s rules
- B) Giving speeches to get votes
- B) Saying bad things about others
- C) Vote in an election
- B) Helping others go vote
- C) In secret
- B) A place where either side could win
Wrapping Up
Elections bring lots of excitement, choices, and voices. Idioms help people talk about all the different parts of voting and running for office. They make things easier to understand and more fun to say. Now that you’ve learned these idioms, you’ll be able to spot them in news, class elections, or even family talks. Keep listening—you’ll hear them more than you think.
