Democratic Institutions and Election Processes

Flashcards covering key vocabulary terms related to democratic institutions and election processes.

Democratic institutions

Government bodies that are elected, as well as democratic processes and principles.

Non-partisan

Not associated with political parties.

Referendum

A public vote on a specific issue.

Open primaries

Elections where any registered voter can choose in which political party primary to vote.

Closed primaries

Elections where only registered party members are allowed to vote in their party's primary election.

General elections

Elections that occur after primary elections to select officeholders.

Special elections

Elections held to replace an officeholder.

Runoff elections

Elections that occur when no candidate receives the required percentage of votes to win.

Gubernatorial

Relating to a governor.

Partisan

Involving a political party.

Electoral college

The group of people selected to represent the US states by formally casting votes for president and vice president.