| 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 candidates they will support in an election |
| Direct Primary | The most widely used method of making nominations in American politics; an intra-party nominating election at which those who vote choose a party's candidates to run in the general election. |
| Closed Primary | 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 from one party's primary to another on a office to office basis. |
| Runoff Primary | A second primary, involving the two front runners in the first contest; held where election law requires a majority vote for nomination. |
| Coattail Effect | Influence that a popular candidate for a top office can have on the voters' support of other candidates of his/her party on the same ballot. |
| Precinct | The smallest unit of election administration, a local votiing district. |
| Polling Place | A particular location where those voters who live in a particular area vote in an election. |
| Ballot | Device by which a voter registers a choice in an election. |
| Political Action Committee | Political arm of a special interest group that seeks to influence elections and public policy decisions. |
