Elections

Elections are formal procedures in which eligible voters choose candidates for public office or decide questions of public policy.

Electoral system: The rules that translate votes into elected offices or seats in a representative body. Its formulas determine how an election converts voter choices into winners.
Sortition: The selection of public officials or decision-makers by random draw. Unlike elections, sortition selects participants without asking voters to choose candidates.
General election: An election that chooses representatives for a legislature or fills major public offices. It is the standard route for selecting national or regional representatives.
Voter turnout: The share of eligible voters who cast ballots in an election. Turnout affects how broadly an election's outcome reflects the eligible electorate.
Voter registration: The process by which eligible people are recorded as voters. Registration rules shape who can participate in an election.
Appointment: The designation of a person for an office by an authorized individual or body. Many public offices are filled by appointment rather than an election.
Primary election: An election in which voters select a party's candidate for a later general election. Primaries narrow a party's field before the main contest.
Electoral fraud: Deliberate illegal interference with an election or the counting of its votes. Fraud can distort results and undermine confidence in the process.
Ballot: A medium or document on which voters record choices in an election. Ballots present the candidates or public questions voters can choose among.
Referendum: A direct vote in which an electorate decides a specific public question. Referendums are elections focused on policy choices rather than selecting officeholders.

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