Glossary

Called “open primaries” by advocates, an open non-partisan two-round election system (NTES) is a system of electing candidates that involves two rounds. 

• The first round is a “winnowing” preliminary election, often misleadingly called a non-partisan or open “primary.” All candidates are subject to the same nomination requirements, irrespective of the partisan affiliation. All candidates appear on the same ballot paper, irrespective of the partisan affiliation. Candidates choose which party designation they want to appear next to their names. All preliminary election voters receive the same ballot and can vote for any candidate on the ballot. A predetermined number of candidates with the most votes advance to the general election, irrespective of their partisan affiliation. 

• The second round is the general election, in which the candidates who advanced from the preliminary election appear on the ballot.  Only candidates who advanced from the preliminary election may appear – there is no alternative process for qualifying for the ballot. Candidates choose which party designation they want to appear next to their names. If three or more candidates advance from the preliminary election, IRV or other non-plurality voting may be used. 

• Political parties can choose to endorse candidates publicly, if they wish, but that endorsement does not change anything on the ballot.

• See also “Top-two primary,” “Top-four primary,” and “Top-five primary.”

A multi-winner plurality voting method in which voters select up to as many candidates as there are to be elected and the candidates with the most votes win, irrespective of whether the candidates were selected by a majority of voters (or whether the same voters elect multiple or all candidates). 

“Ranked-choice voting” (RCV) is a term used in the United States to describe a family of voting and vote counting methods in which voters rank candidates in order of preference and votes are counted in rounds that sequentially elect or eliminate candidates and progressively draw on more information from voters’ ballots. For more detailed explanations, see DODO's RCV 101 page. 

A single-winner plurality voting method in which voters select a single candidate and the candidate with the most votes win, irrespective of whether the candidate received a majority of votes. Also known as “first-past-the-post” voting or “winner-take-all” voting. 

A non-partisan two-round election system that uses the “winnowing” preliminary election, to advance two candidates to the general election. In the general election, the candidate that wins a majority of votes wins office.