Election

Election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century.

Types of Elections

Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the executive and judiciary, and for regional and local government. This process is also used in many other private and business organizations, from clubs to voluntary associations and corporations.

General Elections

General elections occur at regular intervals. The candidates are usually representatives of political parties, though some are independent.

Primary Elections

Primary elections are used by political parties to determine which candidates for a given office will go on to the general election.

By-elections

By-elections (also known as special elections) are used to fill vacancies that occur in the middle of a term.

Election Process

The sequence of events in an election are initiation of the election process, nominating candidates, campaigning, polling, and declaration of results.

Nomination

The first step in the election process is the nomination of candidates. Candidates are usually nominated by a political party.

Campaigning

Campaigning is the process by which candidates and their political parties work to persuade voters to support them.

Polling

Polling is the process by which votes are cast and collected. It usually takes place in a single day.

Declaration of Results

The final step in the election process is the declaration of results, where the candidate with the most votes is declared the winner.

Election Systems

There are many different types of election systems in the world, including first-past-the-post, proportional representation, and mixed systems.

See Also

• Voting
• Democracy
• Political party
• Candidate
• Campaign

Election Resources
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