At-large Election An election in which candidates may live anywhere in the voting jurisdiction and win the election with a majority vote of the jurisdiction's voters.

Bill A proposed law under consideration by a legislative body.

Ballot Box A secure box at the polling place where voters drop their ballots. The person responsible for counting the votes opens the boxes.

Bureaucracy The ongoing government offices, people, and functions of national, state, and local governments that remain in place despite political leadership changes.

Convention A meeting of the members of one party on a precinct, county, district, state, or national level.

Delegate A voter who represents his or her precinct, county, district, or state at a convention.

Democracy A form of government in which the political power is vested in the people. A pure democracy is one in which voters directly take part in all measures. A representative democracy is one in which voters elect representatives to vote for them.

Down Ballot A place on the ballot closer to the end than to the beginning, where candidates and offices with generally less name recognition than highly visible offices such as president or governor appear.

Electioneering Active campaigning for a candidate.

Executive Branch The branch of government responsible for administering the law.

General Election A national, state, or local election in which qualified voters vote for candidates to fill a variety of offices.

Get Out the Vote The mobilization of voters on election day to get them to the polls to cast their votes.

Grassroots Organization A group of likeminded citizens working in the political system to elect candidates representing their views.

Incumbent Current office holder.

Interest Group A group of individuals or organizations with a viewpoint or agenda that expects to influence public policy in its favor. Interest groups may also spread their views to the general public.

Judicial Branch The branch of government responsible for interpreting the law.

Legislative Branch or Legislature The branch of government responsible for making the law.

Lobbyist A person who discusses issues with representatives of a governmental body for the purpose of influencing a decision to be made. Lobbyists may be paid or volunteer.

Motor Voter The name given to the process of registering to vote when obtaining or renewing a driver's license.

Nominating Petition A document signed by a number of people in a jurisdiction in order to place a candidate's name on a ballot.

Nonpartisan Election An election in which candidates are not identified by political party.

Party Affiliation The identification of a voter with one of the political parties.

Party Platform A political party's statement of its positions on public policy issues.

Politics The effort to win and hold control of government. Also the activity of guiding and influencing the formation of public policy.

Polling place Where citizens go to vote.

Precinct Chair A party official elected by the voters in a precinct who is responsible for administering the primary election in the precinct. Additional duties include serving on the county executive committee, encouraging voter registration, and getting out the vote on election day.

Primary An election conducted by a political party to select candidates who will run for office in the general election.

Public Opinion The viewpoints of the general public on an issue of the day.

Public Opinion Poll A survey of public opinion or the opinion of a group, usually privately sponsored. The results may be made known to the public or used confidentially.

Public Policy A formal statement of action by government at any level enacted by the legislative branch or the executive branch through its regulatory authority.

Public Policy Formal action of government at any level as legislated or enacted by the executive branch through its regulatory authority.

Republic A democracy in which the people elect representatives to serve them in government and a chief executive, usually a president, to be the chief of state.

Special Election A nonscheduled election to fill a vacancy in an office occurring between scheduled elections.

Straight Ticket Voting Voting for all the candidates of one party.

Suffrage The right to vote.

Voting Precincts Areas within a county or city in which voting takes place. Citizens usually vote at a polling place in their precinct.

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