| A | B |
|---|
| nomination | process of selecting candidates for office |
| general election | regularly scheduled election at which the voters choose public officeholders |
| caucus | a meeting of a group of like-minded persons to select the candidate they will support in an election |
| direct primary | the most widely used method of making nominations in American politics; an intraparty nominating election at which those who vote choose a party's candidates to run in the general election |
| closed primary | a form of the direct primary in which only declared party members may vote |
| open primary | form of the direct primary in which any qualified voter may participate without regard to his/her party allegiance |
| blanket primary | a nominating election in which voters may switch fromone party's primary to another on an office-to-office basis |
| primary runoff | an election of the two top vote-getters in a direct primary |
| coattail effect | influence that a popular candidate for a top office can have on the voters' support |
| polling place | particular location where those voters who live in a particular aread vote in an election |
| ballot | device by which a voter registers a choice in an election |
| political action committees | the political arm of a special interest group that seeks to influence elections and public policy decisions |
