Tag: dirty tricks

“Swiftboating” refers to the use of dishonest or misleading tactics to attack or smear the reputation or character of a political opponent.

A “hatchet man” is an operative in charge of doing political dirty work — or dirty tricks — both during a campaign and sometimes as part of normal government functions.

“Ballot box stuffing” is a term that refers to the practice of illegally submitting more than one vote in a ballot in which just one vote is actually permitted.

The “enemies list” was a tally of political opponents kept by the Nixon administration.

A smear campaign is repeated uses of smears in an attempt to try to damage someone’s reputation, typically to make them lose an election.

“Dirty tricks” are actions taken by a political campaign or candidate to damage their opponents that may involve unethical, distasteful, or illegal behaviors.

The “cemetery vote” refers to a form of voter fraud, in which votes are cast in the names of registered voters who have, in fact, passed away.

“Roorback” is a false, dirty or slanderous story used for political advantage, usually about a candidate seeking political office.

Aardvarking is recruiting candidates for public office with the main objective of having their names begin with the letter A.

A “push poll” is a form of interactive marketing in which political operatives try to sway voters to believe in certain policies or candidates under the guise of an opinion…

The act of spreading negative rumors about a political candidate, in order to discredit him or her in the eyes of voters. This can also be called a whispering campaign.