Political Parties
A group of people who seek to control government through winning elections and holding public office.
Political Party
A group of like-minded people who meet to select candidates they will support in the upcoming election.
Caucus
Party election to choose state delegates for the national convention and preference for presidential nomination
Presidential Primary
Special interest groups and organizations with a stake in electoral politics.
PAC
Election held within a party to pick candidates for the general election.
Direct Primary
Supported by both parties.
Bipartisan
A long ballot containing names of all contenders, all parties, vote however you choose.
Blanket Primary
The Presidential nominee who won the preference vote in state primary, wins all delegates chosen in the primary
Winner-Take-All
An independent agency in the executive branch that administers the federal law dealing with campaign finance.
FEC
The process of candidate selection in an electoral system.
Nomination
A general agreement among various groups on fundamental matters.
Consensus
A party nominating election, any qualified voter can vote.
Open Primary
Any candidate who wins 15% of the votes, gets the convention delegates based on their state.
Proportional Representation
Money given to the local or state party organizations for election-related activities.
Soft Money
States in which outcome of the election is close and either candidate could win.
Battleground States
A unit into which cities are divided for the election of city council members.
Ward
A party nominating election, only declared party members can vote.
Closed Primary
Speech given at convention to set tone for campaign
Keynote Address
Contributions given directly to the candidates for campaign, regulated by FEC.
Hard Money
A gran from the government to help with an organization.
Subsidy
The smallest unit of election administration; a voting district.
Precinct
A regularly scheduled election at which voters make final selection of officeholders.
General Election
Members who have not made up their mind at the start of the campaign and can be persuaded by either side.
Swing Voters
Money donated by taxpayers when they file income tax returns.
Presidential Election Campaign Fund
The system used to elect the President, determined by 538 electors.
Electoral College