Glossary

Ballot - A piece of paper that is used to cast a secret vote.

Cabinet - The advisory council of the head of state (president).

Campaign - Huge amounts of activities designed to bring about a result.

Candidate - A person who seeks, or is proposed for an office of honor.

Congress- contains senators and representatives constituting a nation’s legislature.

Constitution- is the laws and principals that have been set up to govern our country.

Democracy - A kind of government that the people rule, by voting or electing representatives.

Democratic Party- one of two major political parties in the United States.

Dignitaries - A person with a high position.

Election- is a process by which people vote for a president to govern themselves. It is also a way of transferring power from one group to another.

Electoral College - is a group of people selected by voters of every state to formally elect the President and the Vice President of the United States.

Electoral Commission- is a group created by Congress in 1877. They decided who won the presidential elections.

Executive Branch - Carry out the laws passed by Congress.

Federalist- A person that likes a federal government.

House of Representatives- A person who represents a state. The House of Representatives falls under the Legislative Branch.

Impeached - to removed from the office before a term is up.

Jacksonian Democracy- "Whig Party" was formed to oppose the Jacksonian Democracy in 1824 with former president, Andrew Jackson.

National Convention- It is the last convention of a campaign, where each political party officially nominates their representative.

Nominate- To name a candidate for an elective office.

Nominee- is a certain person chosen to be some political party’s candidate for the elective office.

Pardon - A decision or legal order that frees someone from punishment.

Political Campaign- is the contest for votes before the election between the candidates for a public office.

Political Party - is an organization of people that share their ideas about how to govern the nation, state, and/or the community.

Popular Vote-The actual number of votes cast for candidates for President and Vice President in a general election. The candidate who receives the most popular votes in a state wins all of its electoral votes.

Primary- A primary is an election where political parties nominate a candidate for office.

Rallies - To bring, or come together for united action.

Representative- An individual who makes decisions for or represents others.

Republican Party- One of two political parties in the United States having the greatest membership.

Suffrage- is the citizens right and privilege to vote.

Treaties - An agreement between two or more nations in reference to peace, commerce, or other matters.

Veto - The right of chief executives, such as a president or governor to reject a bill already passed by a legislator.

Vote- a way of making a choice or decision in a formal way, such as by marking a ballot or raising your hand.

Voter Registration- The process before an election of signing up to vote, which includes identifying yourself and your place of residence.

Whig Party- A member of an old British political party, opposed to the Tories, and later known as the Liberal Party.