Voting and Election terms

a ballot completed and typically mailed in advance of an election by a voter who is unable to vote at a polling location

a single-winner voting method that allows voters to choose any number of candidates. The candidate that is chose the most wins. This form of voting eliminates vote-splitting; when similar candidates have a reduced chance of winning but a dissimilar candidate has a higher chance of winning.

a device used to collect votes in an election and is usually found as a piece of paper or in electronic form. Each voter uses one ballot and ballots are not shared.

a proposed law drafted by citizens and placed on the ballot. Citizens will vote to approve or reject it. Ballot initiatives are usually drafted by groups who are passionate about an issue.

a meeting at which local members of a political party register their preference among candidates running for office or select delegates to attend a convention.

a politician running for political office.

a person who lives, works, or pays taxes in an area that a politician represents

a region that is outlined by the government. Districts are set up for organizing voting and governing.

in-person absentee voting; voting that occurs before election day under the supervision of election workers

a person who is certified to represent their state's vote in the Electoral College.

In the United States Electoral College, each state has a number of electors equal to that state's number of U.S. senators and representatives. The District of Columbia (capital of Washington D. C.) receives the number of electors as if it were a state, but no more than that of the least populated state. The electors generally cast their vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state, although this is not required in some states. 270 out of 538 electors are required to win the presidential election.

a political endorsement is a public declaration of one's personal or group's support of a candidate for elected office.

Impeachment is the process to remove a high level government official such as the president, the vice president, a federal judge, a representative, or a senator. First the House of Representatives investigates and brings impeachment charges, then the Senate holds the impeachment trial. Some states and cities use impeachment to remove governors, mayors, or other elected officials. Other states allow officials to be removed through a recall election instead of impeachment.

A day where ceremonies are held to swear a newly elected official into office. These are normally held for presidents and vice presidents, governors, and mayors.

someone currently holding political office.

the candidate a political party chooses to represent them in an election

an organized group of people who have the same ideologies and values. They field candidates for elections in order to implement these values and ideologies.

a location where you can vote, normally in public places such as schools, churches and community centers. Your polling place is based off of the home address you registered.

the candidate or decision with the most votes has the popular vote.

Each city, state, county, or geographical area is divided into sections called precincts to organize voting. They can also be called election districts or voting districts.

counting the votes again if there is a suspected error in the first count.

a proposed new law or a proposal to repeal an existing law, passed to the voters to approve or reject.

A registered voter is someone who has applied and been entered into the voter registration system of their area. You must be a registered voter in order to vote in any election.

a non-routine election held to replace a member of office in the event of death, resignment, or impeachment.

Super Tuesday is the day on which most states hold their presidential primary elections. This day is important because the candidates that win Super Tuesday is most likely to win their party's nomination.

the length of time a person is allowed to hold office. For example, the U.S. president serves a 4 year term, representatives serve 2 year terms, and senators serve 6 year terms. However, there are limits on the amounts of terms one person is allowed to serve; called a term limit. The president can only serve 2 terms. Representatives and senators do not have term limits. Governors, mayors, and other local officials have different term limits depending on which state they are in.

a meeting where candidates answer questions from voters. In town hall debates, a moderator helps ensure candidates follow the rules they agreed to follow.

when votes and the results of the election are tampered with. Often including bribery, hacking, illegal voter registration, voter impersonation, vote buying, and false information about how to vote.

trying to dissuade or prevent people from voting. This can include threats, tests for literacy, poll taxes, and other tactics meant to intimidate or trick people.