Chapter 7

general election

A general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.

direct primary

A preliminary election in which a party's candidates for public office are nominated by direct vote of the people.

runoff primary

A runoff primary is a second primary election held in some states to determine which of the top two vote getters in the first primary will be awarded the party nomination for an office. Typically, if no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the primary election, there is a subsequent runoff election between the top two vote getters to determine the party candidate.

subsidy

A subsidy is a form of financial aid or support extended to an economic sector (or institution, business, or individual) generally with the aim of promoting economic and social policy.

absentee voting

An absentee ballot is a vote cast by someone who is unable or unwilling to attend the official polling station or to which the voter is normally allocated.

open primary

An open primary is a primary election in which any registered voter can vote in any party's primary.

nonpartisan election

Based on, influenced by, affiliated with, or supporting the interests or policies of no single political party

blanket primary

In a blanket primary, unlike an open primary, voters choose candidates for each office without regard to party.

closed primary

In a closed primary, only voters registered for the party which is holding the primary may vote.

coattial effect

The coattail effect is the tendency for a popular political party leader to attract votes for other candidates of the same party in an election.

hard money

When cash is contributed directly to a political candidate, it is known as a "hard money" contribution. These contributions may only come from an individual or a political action committee, and must follow the strict limits set forth by the FEC.

polling place

a building where voting takes place during an election, typically one that normally has another function, such as a school.

soft money

a contribution to a political party that is not accounted as going to a particular candidate, thus avoiding various legal limitations.

precinct

a district of a city or town as defined for police purposes.

caucus

a meeting of the members of a legislative body who are members of a particular political party, to select candidates or decide policy.

political action committee

a political action committee (PAC) is a type of organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaign for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation

ballot

a process of voting, in writing and typically in secret.

Nomination

the action of nominating or state of being nominated