Government Ch. 6 & 7 Vocab : Voting & Elections

transient

person living in a state for only a short time, without legal residency

suffrage

the right to vote; the francise

electorate

all of the people entitled to vote in a given election

registration

a procedure of voter identification intended to prevent fraudulent voting

purging

the process of reviewing lists of registered voters and removing the names of those no longer eligible to vote; a purification

poll books

list of all registered voters in precinct

poll tax

a special tax, demanded by the states, as a condition of voting

literacy

a person' ability to read or write

Off-year elections

Congressional election that occurs between presidential election years; Midyear elections

political socialization

the process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinions

Party identification

loyalty of people to a political party

straight-ticket voting

the practice of voting for candidates of only one party in an election

split-ticket voting

voting for candidates of different parties for different offices at the same election

independent

a term used to describe people who have no party affiliation or membership

nomination

the process of candidate selection in an electoral system

general election

the regularly scheduled election at which voters make a final selection of officeholders

caucus

a group of party members who meet to select the candidates they will support in an upcoming election

direct primary

an election held within a party to pick that party's candidates for the general election

closed primary

a party-nominating election in which only declared party members can vote

open primary

a party-nominating election in which any qualified voter can take part

nonpartisan election

election in which candidates are not identified by party labels

absentee voting

arrangements made for those unable to get to their regular polling places on election day

coattail effect

the result of having a strong candidate running for office at the top of the ballot helping other to attract voters to other candidates on the party's ticket

precinct

a voting district

polling place

the location where the voters in a certain area go to vote

ballot

the device voters use to register a choice in an election