Glossary

Plain-English civic terms.

Election jargon, demystified. If we've missed something, drop a note via contact.

Absentee ballot: A ballot you fill out at home and mail in. In PA, absentee ballots require a stated reason (illness, work, etc.). For no-excuse mail-in voting, request a "mail-in ballot" instead.
At-large seat: A seat elected by an entire jurisdiction (e.g., a whole city) rather than by a single district. The opposite of a "district" or "ward" seat.
Closed primary: A primary in which only registered party members can vote in that party’s race. PA has closed primaries; independents and minor-party voters cannot vote in major-party primaries.
Cook rating: A non-partisan competitiveness rating from the Cook Political Report (e.g., "Toss Up", "Lean D", "Likely R") describing how competitive a race is.
Down-ballot: Races below the top of the ballot — state house, county row offices, judicial retention. They get less attention but often more direct effect on daily life.
General election: The actual election that selects the officeholder. In PA this is the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November.
Incumbent: The current office-holder running for re-election. Incumbents typically have name recognition and fundraising advantages.
Mail-in ballot: A ballot you fill out at home and return by mail or drop box. PA allows no-excuse mail-in voting; you must request one each cycle unless you’ve signed up for the permanent list.
Open primary: A primary in which any registered voter can vote in any party’s race. PA does not have open primaries.
PAC / super-PAC: Political action committees that raise and spend money on elections. PACs face contribution limits; super-PACs do not but cannot coordinate with campaigns.
Polling place: The physical location where you vote on Election Day. Determined by your registered home address; look it up at PA.gov.
Primary election: The election where each party picks its nominees. PA primaries are in mid-May.
Provisional ballot: A backup ballot used when there is uncertainty about your registration. Counted only after the issue is resolved. Always ask for one if you’re told you can’t vote.
Redistricting: The redrawing of district maps after each census. In PA, the legislature draws federal districts; an independent commission draws state legislative ones.
Right of reply: The opportunity for a person covered in a publication to publish a response. Parley grants candidates an unconditional right of reply.
Sample ballot: A non-binding preview of the ballot you’ll see on Election Day, used to plan your votes. Available on PA.gov.
Spoiled ballot: A mismarked or damaged paper ballot. Hand it to a poll worker and ask for a replacement.
Voter intimidation: Any conduct designed to coerce, threaten, or harass voters. Illegal under federal and PA law. Report immediately to 866-OUR-VOTE.
Write-in: A candidate not on the printed ballot, written in by the voter. Only counts in PA if the candidate has officially registered as a write-in.

Civic library First-time voter

Plain-English civic terms.

Election jargon, demystified. If we've missed something, drop a note via contact.

Absentee ballot

A ballot you fill out at home and mail in. In PA, absentee ballots require a stated reason (illness, work, etc.). For no-excuse mail-in voting, request a "mail-in ballot" instead.

At-large seat

A seat elected by an entire jurisdiction (e.g., a whole city) rather than by a single district. The opposite of a "district" or "ward" seat.

Closed primary

A primary in which only registered party members can vote in that party’s race. PA has closed primaries; independents and minor-party voters cannot vote in major-party primaries.

Cook rating

A non-partisan competitiveness rating from the Cook Political Report (e.g., "Toss Up", "Lean D", "Likely R") describing how competitive a race is.

Down-ballot

Races below the top of the ballot — state house, county row offices, judicial retention. They get less attention but often more direct effect on daily life.

General election

The actual election that selects the officeholder. In PA this is the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November.

Incumbent

The current office-holder running for re-election. Incumbents typically have name recognition and fundraising advantages.

Mail-in ballot

A ballot you fill out at home and return by mail or drop box. PA allows no-excuse mail-in voting; you must request one each cycle unless you’ve signed up for the permanent list.

Open primary

A primary in which any registered voter can vote in any party’s race. PA does not have open primaries.

PAC / super-PAC

Political action committees that raise and spend money on elections. PACs face contribution limits; super-PACs do not but cannot coordinate with campaigns.

Polling place

The physical location where you vote on Election Day. Determined by your registered home address; look it up at PA.gov.

Primary election

The election where each party picks its nominees. PA primaries are in mid-May.

Provisional ballot

A backup ballot used when there is uncertainty about your registration. Counted only after the issue is resolved. Always ask for one if you’re told you can’t vote.

Redistricting

The redrawing of district maps after each census. In PA, the legislature draws federal districts; an independent commission draws state legislative ones.

Right of reply

The opportunity for a person covered in a publication to publish a response. Parley grants candidates an unconditional right of reply.

Sample ballot

A non-binding preview of the ballot you’ll see on Election Day, used to plan your votes. Available on PA.gov.

Spoiled ballot

A mismarked or damaged paper ballot. Hand it to a poll worker and ask for a replacement.

Voter intimidation

Any conduct designed to coerce, threaten, or harass voters. Illegal under federal and PA law. Report immediately to 866-OUR-VOTE.

Write-in

A candidate not on the printed ballot, written in by the voter. Only counts in PA if the candidate has officially registered as a write-in.