The words you will hear in a campaign, defined.

From tax rate elections to turnout programs, in plain language.

What do campaign terms like VATRE, chase list and win number mean?

A VATRE is a voter approval tax rate election, held when a Texas taxing unit adopts a rate above its voter approval rate. A chase list is the set of identified supporters who have not voted yet. A win number is the number of votes a campaign needs to win, based on expected turnout. This glossary defines these and other common campaign and election terms.

Appraisal district (CAD): The county appraisal district, which sets taxable property values and keeps records for every parcel. Campaigns use its data to see ownership, exemptions and property type. Not the same as a County Assistance District.
Ballot roll-off: When voters skip races further down the ballot. A major risk for judicial, county and proposition campaigns.
Bond proposition: A ballot measure asking voters to authorize borrowing for specific projects, repaid with property taxes. Texas school bond propositions are split by purpose and state the principal amount. See school bond elections.
Chase list: The identified supporters who have not voted yet. It shrinks every day of early voting. See get out the vote.
Commissioners court: The governing body of a Texas county: a county judge elected countywide and four commissioners elected by precinct. See county elections.
Connected TV (CTV): Video ads watched on a television through an internet connection, placed by household rather than by media market. See streaming TV.
County Assistance District: A Texas district created by voters under Chapter 387 of the Local Government Code that collects a local sales and use tax inside its boundaries to fund roads, law enforcement, parks and recreation, public health and welfare including fire protection, and economic development. See CAD tax elections.
Culper: URSA's campaign operations platform: voter database, P2P texting, block walking, sign tracking and contact history in one system. See Culper.
Diffusion of responsibility: The tendency of each person in a group to feel less responsible for acting when many others could act. Why "go vote" messages are weak.
Disposition: The recorded outcome of a voter contact, such as supporter, undecided, opposed, needs a ride or wrong number.
Early vote scrub: Removing voters who have already cast a ballot from every campaign list and audience, using the county's daily early voting roster.
Early voting: The period before Election Day when voters can cast a ballot in person. In Texas it usually opens about two weeks before Election Day.
Electioneering: Campaigning for or against a candidate or measure. In Texas it is prohibited within 100 feet of an outside door of a polling place during voting.
Emergency Services District (ESD): A Texas political subdivision created under Chapter 775 of the Health and Safety Code to provide fire protection, emergency medical services or both, funded by property tax and, with voter approval, a sales and use tax. See ESD tax elections.
Frequency cap: A limit on how many times the same household or person sees an ad in a period.
Geofencing: Serving digital ads to devices inside a defined area during a set time, such as a stadium during a game. See digital and geofencing.
GOTV: Get out the vote. The final phase of a campaign, focused on making sure supporters actually vote.
Homestead exemption: A reduction in the taxable value of a person's primary residence. Homeowners with a homestead exemption pay tax on less than the full value of their home.
Household match rate: The share of a campaign's address list that can be matched to households reachable on a streaming or digital platform.
Interest and sinking (I&S) tax: The part of a property tax rate that repays bonds. Also called the debt service rate.
L2 and i360: National providers of voter and consumer data used by campaigns for modeled scores, household details and contact information.
Maintenance and operations (M&O) tax: The part of a property tax rate that funds day to day operations, such as salaries and utilities.
Media market (DMA): The geographic area a broadcast TV station reaches. Usually far larger than any local district.
Message matrix: A table assigning each audience the argument that fits its situation and the channel that reaches it.
Micro-targeting: Using voter, property and consumer data to reach specific households with messages about what matters to them. See micro-targeting.
No-new-revenue rate: The property tax rate that would raise the same revenue from the same properties as the year before.
One to one ask: A specific request from one identifiable person to one voter for one thing, like standing a sign at a polling place at a set time. See persuasion psychology.
Opt out: A voter's request to stop receiving texts, usually by replying STOP. Must be honored immediately and permanently.
OTT: Over the top. Streaming video delivered over the internet on any device, often used interchangeably with CTV in advertising.
Peer-to-peer (P2P) texting: A person sending individual text messages to voters and carrying on a two way conversation with each reply. See P2P texting.
Persuasion universe: Likely voters who have not decided and can be moved, the focus of persuasion messaging before early voting.
Political advertising disclosure: The statement on political advertising saying it is political advertising and who paid for it, often called the "paid for by" line.
Primary election: The election in which a party's voters choose its nominees. In Texas, primaries are held in March of even numbered years, with runoffs in May.
Section 255.003: The Texas Election Code section that bars political subdivisions from spending public funds on political advertising, while allowing factual communications about a measure. See public entities.
SmartMail: URSA's direct mail program: hand addressed, stamped letters, voter guides, before and after pieces and variable printing. See SmartMail.
Specific-purpose committee: A Texas political committee formed to support or oppose particular candidates or measures, such as one bond or tax election. See PACs and issue campaigns.
Straight ticket voting: Marking one box to vote for every candidate of a party. Texas eliminated it starting with the 2020 election, so voters must mark each race.
Tax ceiling: In Texas, the school district taxes on the homestead of a homeowner 65 or older, or disabled, are generally frozen at a ceiling and do not rise with rate increases.
Uniform election date: The dates in May and November when most Texas local elections, such as city, school and special district elections, are held.
Universe: The defined set of voters a campaign will contact, such as likely voters in the district who support or might support the campaign.
Variable data printing: Printing that changes each piece's content from the campaign's data, such as the voter's name, neighborhood issue, estimated tax change or polling place.
VATRE: Voter approval tax rate election. Held when a Texas taxing unit adopts a property tax rate above its voter approval rate, so voters can ratify or reject it. See tax rate elections.
Vote history: The record of which elections a registered voter participated in. The strongest predictor of whether someone will vote in a local election.
Voter approval rate: The highest property tax rate a Texas taxing unit can adopt without an election. For most cities and counties it allows about 3.5 percent more maintenance and operations revenue than the year before.
Voter file: The list of registered voters in a jurisdiction with their addresses and the elections they voted in. It never shows how anyone voted. See voter data.
Win number: The number of votes a campaign needs to win, based on expected turnout for that election.

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