| A | B |
|---|
| nomination | the naming of those who will seek office |
| general election | regularly scheduled elections at which voters make the final selection of officeholders |
| caucus | a group of like-minded persons who meet to select the candidates they will support in an upcoming election |
| direct primary | an election held within the party to pick the party's candidates for the general election |
| closed primary | a party nominating election in which only declared party members can vote |
| open primary | a party nominating election in which any qualified voter can take part |
| blanket primary | every voter is handed the same ballot, one listing every contender for every nomination in both parties |
| runoff primary | the two top vote-getters in the first direct primary face one another, and the winner of the vote becomes the nominee |
| caottail effect | when a strong candidate running for an office at the top of the ballot helps attract voters to other candidates on the party's ticket |
| precinct | a voting district |
| polling place | where the voters who live in a precinct actually vote |
| ballot | is the devise by which a voter registers a choice in an election |
| politicial action committee (PAC) | the political arms of special interest groups that have a major stake in public policy |
