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swing voter

swing voter

20 4.2
A person who sometimes votes for different political parties and can decide the result of an election
  • noun
  • /swɪŋ ˈvoʊtər/
translation icon : votante indeciso
  • I don't see this ad helping him among remaining swing voters, including women, in Ohio, Iowa, and Wisconsin.
  • independent swing voters
  • moderate swing voters
  • centrist swing voters

She's not actually out there trying to convince swing voters.

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Examples

  • The swing voter has finally been identified.

  • So political campaigns have become more about mobilizing the base than about appealing to the swing voters in the middle.

  • The one swing voter who will decide the election.

  • Republicans continue to angle for swing voters concerned about programs like education, environmental protection, and food safety.

    Blog text (23)
  • There are very few swing voters, and very few votes available from each party's base.

    Blog text (25)
  • The real issue in November is how to convince swing voters who are the "undecided."

    Blog text (4)
  • Is it moving the needle at all with swing voters, or is it more mobilizing the base?

    Blog text (25)
  • I agree that purely ideological reasoning and voting are limited, especially with swing voters.

    Blog text (27)
  • Also, Alan Abramowitz's 'Disappearing Center' shows how swing voters often tend to be less engaged and interested in politics.

    Blog text (27)
  • The swing voter is often seen as the key to winning tightly contested elections.

Synonyms

independent
vsswing voter
122 3.6

A person who does not belong to any political party

is the person whose choice can decide close elections rather than mere nonmembership
nonpartisan
vsswing voter
1 6.3

A person who does not support any political party

is instead a person whose varying support can decide close election results
floating voter
vsswing voter
  • Literature
5.6

A person who does not always support the same political party and may choose differently in each election

may cast the deciding vote in close elections rather than just vary support
wobbler
vsswing voter
  • Literature
7.7

A voter who is not sure which party or candidate to support

is someone whose changing support may determine tight election outcomes rather than simple indecision

How Partisan

loyalist
42 4.8
swing voter
20 4.2
independent
122 3.6
undecided
15 3.4

Surface Forms

swing voter singular
swing voters plural

Morphology

swing + voter

The meaning 'a voter who does not consistently support any single party and whose vote may determine the outcome' is directly derivable from combining 'swing' (to sway or change) with 'voter' (a person who votes). This compositional relationship is a common political metaphor found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The phrase swing voter comes from the image of a voter who 'swings' between two parties, like someone on a seesaw who can tip to either side. That's why swing voter means 'a voter who does not always support the same party and whose choice may decide the outcome'.