A vote-getter is a person — or sometimes a policy or an idea — that brings in votes at an election. The word is almost always used with a word in front telling you how well it works: a *big* vote-getter, a *strong* vote-getter, the *top* vote-getter. "Top vote-getter" is especially common in American news and means simply the candidate who received the most votes. Notice what the word is really saying. It does not say the person is good, wise, or right — only that people vote for them. So it is a practical, slightly cold, backroom kind of word, the sort of thing party workers and reporters use when they are counting rather than judging. It can even be faintly rude, hinting that popularity is all this person has. The same word covers issues too: "lowering taxes is always a good vote-getter" means the promise wins votes, whatever else you think of it. It is mostly American English and mostly journalism; British writing tends to say "a vote winner". Note the hyphen — it is normally written as one hyphenated word.