Submitted by CCCL_AlbertG
Regional, State, and National elections can be confusing for anyone. Here is a list of words and definitions to help with the upcoming elections for English Language Learners:
- Ballot: either in paper form or electronic, the way voters show their vote preferences or a list of candidates. (ballot box: the box used to hold ballots to be counted).
- Candidate: the person running for elected office.
- Contributor/donor: a person or organization that donates money to a candidate’s campaign for office.
- Convention: a meeting where a political party chooses its presidential candidate.
- Delegates: the people who have been chosen to represent each state at a political party’s convention.
- Democracy: a form of government in which people hold power, either by voting for measures directly or by voting for representatives who vote for them.
- Incumbent: a person who already holds an office and is running for reelection
- Independent voter: A person who chooses to register to vote with no party affiliation. The decision to register as an independent voter does not register a voter with any third party although these third parties are often referred to as independent parties.
- Nominee: the candidate a political party chooses or nominates, to run in the national election.
- Platform: A political party's formal statement of basic principles, stands on major issues, and objectives.
- Political parties and symbols: The Republican Party is symbolized as an elephant. The Democratic Party is symbolized as a donkey.
- Polling place: a place where voters go to cast their votes in an election.
- Popular vote: a tally of all the votes citizens have cast in the presidential election.
- Representative: a member of the House of Representatives, also called a congressman or congresswoman.
- Running mate: a candidate who is running for office with another candidate on the same ticket. (Example: president and vice president.)
- Suffrage: the right, privilege, or act of voting.
- Swing voters: voters who do not have a commitment to a particular political party.
For more information, visit ccclib.org for books on the election process and the library’s Digital Resources for current articles about the upcoming election.
