Who are we voting for?
An election held before the general election where voters choose their party’s candidate for office
Primary Election
What is a Candidate?
A person who applies for a job or other position or is nominated for election.
A large meeting where a political party officially chooses its candidate for President and agrees on its goals and platform
What is a convention?
What is a Poll?
A survey used to measure public opinion about candidates or political issues — or the actual place where people vote
The group of people (electors) chosen from each state who formally vote to elect the President and Vice President of the United States.
Electoral College
An election in which voters can choose any candidate from any political party, even if they are not registered with that party.
Open Primary
What is a Republican in American Politics
A member of the Republican Party, one of the two main political parties in the U.S. Republicans generally support limited government, lower taxes, and traditional values.
An organized group of people who share similar ideas about government and work together to win elections and influence laws.
Political Party
A survey taken outside polling places to find out how people voted and why, often used by news organizations to predict election results.
Exit Poll
The votes cast by the members of the Electoral College. Each state gets a certain number of votes based on its population (total number of senators + representatives).
Electoral Votes
An election in which only registered members of a political party can vote to choose that party’s candidate.
Closed Primary
What is a Democrat in American Politics?
A member of the Democratic Party, one of the two main political parties in the U.S. Democrats generally support a stronger federal government, social programs, and progressive change.
What does Nominate mean?
To formally choose someone as a party’s candidate for an election
General Election
The nationwide election held every four years (for President) — or every two years (for Congress) — in which voters choose among candidates from different political parties.
Popular Vote
The total number of votes cast by citizens in an election (different from the Electoral College vote for President).
What is a Caucus?
A meeting of members of a political party to discuss issues and choose candidates to run for office
A written statement of a political party’s official beliefs, goals, and plans for running the country
Party Platform
A system in which the candidate who receives the most votes in a state wins all of that state’s electoral votes in a presidential election.
Winner-Take-All