7 th Grade Civics Miss Smith *pgs

 Must be 18 years old by a set date before the next election  Voter registration protects your vote  No one can vote more than once or claim to be you and cast your vote  Independent voters- citizens who are not members of a political party

 Primary election- election in which voters choose candidates within the party who will run in the general election  General election- election in which voters actually choose a candidate for office

 Closed primary- only those voters who are registered in the party can vote to choose the party’s candidates  Open primary- voters may vote for the candidates of either major party whether or not the voters belong to the party

 Can have their name printed on the ballot if enough supporters sign a petition  Some states let voters write in the name of a candidate

 Secret Ballot- method of voting in which a voter marks a paper ballot in secret  Before this, voters had to announce their vote aloud

 Paper ballots  Mechanical lever machines  Punchcards  Marksense (Used in Florida)  Direct recording electronic (DRE)- This is a touch screen  Straight ticket- voting for all the same party members  Split ticket- voting for members of various parties