Definition

An unofficial, non-binding vote taken to gauge opinion or support, often at party events. It's democracy's way of testing the waters before diving in, though predictive value is questionable.

Example Usage

The candidate won the state fair straw poll but dropped out before the actual primary after failing to raise money.

Origin

From the practice of throwing straw in the air to see which way the wind blows, used politically since at least the 1820s.

Fun Fact

The Ames Straw Poll in Iowa was a major early campaign event until 2016, despite winners like Michele Bachmann and Pat Robertson who went nowhere nationally.

Source: Electoral polling terminology

Related Terms

Intermediate

oppo research

Opposition research, the art of digging up dirt on political opponents and presenting it as legitimate investigation. It's detective work minus the ethics, where the goal is finding skeletons in closets rather than truth.

🏛️ Government / Politics
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stealth candidate

A political candidate who deliberately avoids media coverage, debates, and public appearances to prevent gaffes or scrutiny of unpopular positions. The electoral equivalent of hoping everyone forgets you exist until voting day.

🏛️ Government / Politics
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pigeonhole

The act of a committee chair refusing to schedule consideration of a bill, letting it die through strategic neglect in a metaphorical filing cubby. It's assassination by bureaucratic inaction.

🏛️ Government / Politics
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swing district

An electoral constituency where neither major party has a reliable advantage, making outcomes unpredictable and campaigns expensive. Where democracy actually functions and politicians have to work for votes instead of coasting on partisan loyalty.

🏛️ Government / Politics
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leadership PAC

A political action committee established by a politician to fund other candidates' campaigns, supposedly to build alliances but mostly to maintain relevance and influence. A clever way for ambitious legislators to buy loyalty while keeping their own campaign funds untouched.

🏛️ Government / Politics
Intermediate

parliamentary

Relating to a system of government where the executive branch emerges from the legislative body, as opposed to the American system where we elect people to fight each other across branches. In this setup, the Prime Minister can actually lose their job mid-term if Parliament gets cranky, which Americans find either admirably efficient or terrifyingly unstable. Also describes procedures so formal and rule-bound that it takes 20 minutes to ask a simple question.

🏛️ Government / Politics

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