| absentee ballot |
a ballot to be marked and delivered to an election official before election day because the voter will be unable to be at the polls on that day. |
| at-large election |
an election in which every voter can vote for candidates to fill any and all vacant positions in a representative body. Unlike a single-member election, in which people can vote only for candidates who represent their particular legislative district, at-large elections allow every person to vote on each vacant position within a governing body. |
| ballot |
the total number of votes cast in an election or in a round of votes. [1/6 definitions] |
| Barack Obama |
the 44th President of the United States. Before his 2004 election to the U.S. Senate, in which he served until November 2008, Barack Obama worked as an attorney, a community organizer, and an Illinois state senator (1997-2004). He is the first African-American to be elected to the U.S. presidency (b.1961). |
| Bundestag |
the lower house of the federal assembly of Germany, whose members are chosen by popular election. |
| by-election |
in Britain and other countries, an election held between general elections to fill a vacant seat in government. |
| call |
to announce or order as (a meeting, election, or the like). [1/22 definitions] |
| civil service |
a system of awarding government jobs on the basis of competitive examinations, rather than by appointment or election. [1/3 definitions] |
| closed primary election |
in the United States, a direct primary election in which voters must show evidence of their party affiliation and may vote only for candidates of the same party. |
| contestant |
one who challenges or disputes an outcome such as a will, election result, or the like. [1/2 definitions] |
| continuous body |
a legislative body, such as the U.S. Senate, that achieves stability by staggering the terms of its members to prevent more than a minority of seats from changing in a single election. |
| cooping |
the practice of kidnapping a person and forcing them to vote, often repeatedly, for a particular candidate in an election. |
| direct primary election |
a preliminary election in which candidates for public office are nominated by direct vote of the people. (Cf. closed primary election.) |
| elective |
pertaining to election by voting. [2/5 definitions] |
| elector |
one who may participate in an election; qualified voter. [1/2 definitions] |
| electoral |
of or concerning electors or an election. [1/2 definitions] |
| electoral process |
a set of steps and procedures agreed upon as the method for conducting an election, such as the processes for selecting candidates, registering voters, casting votes, and counting votes. |
| electoral vote |
the tally of the votes cast by the electors of the electoral college in a U.S. presidential election. In most states, the winner of the popular vote receives one hundred percent of that state's electoral vote; therefore, the percentage of the total electoral vote cast for each candidate may not reflect the percentage of the popular vote cast for each candidate. [2 definitions] |
| electorate |
a body of those entitled to participate in an election; qualified voters, as a group. |
| front-load |
to move and concentrate caucuses and party primaries to an earlier period before a general election than had previously been established. [1/2 definitions] |
| general election |
a final election on the national, state, or local level to select one candidate from among those previously nominated in a primary election, at a party convention, or by some other procedure. [2 definitions] |