| A | B |
|---|
| Primary | Special elections that are usually held around May that are used to nominate cadidates. |
| Negative Advertising | Process of using advertisments that focus on the faults and shortcomings of your opponent rather then your goals. |
| PAC's ballot | Groups that are formed in order to raise money for candidates running for office --they are limited to a 5,000 donation to an individual candidate. |
| Campaign Finance Reform | Proposed legislation that would limit the amount of money used by candidates to run for office because of the influence that campaign donors may recieve. |
| Plurality | Refers to the way most elections are won--not my majority vote but by getting the most votes. |
| Initiative | Process where voters in certain states are able to put proposed legislation on the general ballot to be approved or rejected by voters. |
| Referendum | Process whereby legislators place proposed bills on the general ballot for approval after the legislators have already passed the bill. |
| Exit poll | A voter may encounter one of these as he leaves the polls so that the media may better predict the winner of elections. |
| Straight Ticket | Voting only for the same poltical party all the way through a ballot. |
| Split Ticket | Voting for candidates from either political party. |
| Absentee Ballot | Voting that is done before election day because a voter is going to be unable to vote on election day. |
| Run-Off | Special election between two candidates who did not achieve a majority of the vote --usually done in primary elections. |
| Governor | Head of state executive branch and leader of state government. |
| Lieutenant Governor | Elected position that is similiar to the Vice President but on the state level. |
| General Assembly | Name for the North Carolina Legislature. |
