Campaigns & Elections

Election Campaign	An organized effort to persuade voters to choose one candidate over others vying for the same office.
Primary Election	An election conducted within a party to choose that party's candidate for an office..
Closed Primary	A primary in which only members of that party may participate.
Open Primary	A primary available to any voter.
Modified Closed Primary	When individual state parties are allowed to let independents vote (or not).
Modified Open Primary	A primary in which independents are entitled to vote.
Presidential Primary	An election to choose delegates, who then convene to choose the presidential candidate.
Caucus (Convention)	A closed meeting of members of a political party to decide policy and candidates for office.
Front-Loading	A state practice of moving primaries and caucuses to earlier in the year to gain attention.
General Election	Constitutionally defined as a national election on every even-numbered year's 2nd Tuesday of November.
Straight Ticket	Voting for a single party's candidates for all offices.
Split Ticket	Voting for more than one party's candidates for various offices.
First-Past-the-Post Election	Winner-take-all elections in single-member districts.
Open Election	An election lacking an incumbent.
Federal Election Commission (FEC)	An independent federal agency monitoring interstate and international communications.