The float vote

The british have a more sophisticated and accurate lexicon to describe their elections than we crass Americans do. U.S. politicians aggressively "run for election," while British candidates more calmly "stand for office." And what we call "swing voters," as though they swing back and forth between candidates like a rusty screen door in a midsummer storm, are more accurately defined by the British term "floating voters" because they gently float between candidates -- occasionally stopping at "undecided" to catch their political breath.

By Frank Luntz

June 22, 2008