As polling stations begin to close, here are some terms to know as Election Night rolls on.
A person exits a polling station at Brown University Tuesday hours before polls close in Providence, Rhode Island. (David Goldman/AP)
Whether your interest in politics is greatest or you just vote every second of November, it’s always a good idea to brush up on some of the terms you hear during election season and remember who’s running for election and How CNN Evaluates Election Contests.
Here are the answers to some basic questions that many people have.
What is a “seat change” or “pickup”?
A swapped or elected seat is a seat in the House or Senate that voters take from one party and give to the other. As a result of the reallocation, nine House seats, including seven new seats where there are no incumbents and two where there are two opposing incumbents, cannot be declared taken by either party.
What is an “incumbent” or “incumbent”?
An “officer” or officeholder is a legislature or elected official who is standing for re-election.
What is a special election?
If a senator retires, dies, or leaves office before the end of his or her term, the state governor typically appoints a replacement to fill the seat. After that, voters usually have the opportunity to express their opinion, usually at the next federal election. For example, Democratic Senators Mark Kelly of Arizona and Raphael Warnock of Georgia were first elected in special elections in 2020 and are both running for full six-year terms in 2022.
This year will see special Senate elections in Oklahoma, where Republican Senator James Inhofe will step down next year, and in California, where Democratic Senator Alex Padilla, who was named to replace Vice President Kamala Harris, are both running to cover the rest of Harris’ tenure (which ends in January) to win the next.
Members of the House of Representatives cannot be appointed. So when a seat in the House of Representatives becomes vacant, there must be a special election to fill it. Indiana is holding a special election this year to fill the final two months of Rep. Jackie Walorski’s term. Walorski died in August.
What is ranked voting?
Several cities and states are experimenting with ways to give voters more access to the political process, potentially depolarizing politics. Ranking choice voting is a system used in most Maine and Alaska elections in which voters rank their choices in order of preference rather than choosing an individual candidate. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the first-place votes, the last candidate is eliminated and the second choice of voters who selected that candidate receives those votes.
This process is repeated until a winner emerges.
What does “vote estimation” mean?
Based on data such as turnout in previous elections, ballots cast or requested, and pre-election polls, organizations can predict how many votes are expected in a given election. A vote estimate may underestimate or overestimate the actual vote, and the percentage of information may increase or decrease during election night depending on how those estimates are adjusted as analysts examine the data in real time. As these estimates consolidate, they can be useful in predicting how many votes remain to be counted.
What does “down the ballot” mean?
The tip of the ballot is the vote that most people in a state will see on their ballot.
In a presidential year, these candidates lead the vote. Most local election candidates appear at the bottom of the ballot. For example, a candidate for the House of Representatives ranks below a presidential candidate. A mayoral candidate ranks below a house candidate.
How can CNN project an election that has no votes yet?
CNN takes this task very seriously. It is sometimes possible to see that a particular candidate will win an election based on previous election results, exit polls, recent opinion polls, early turnout, and other factors. If there is a possibility of a change, CNN will refrain from forecasting an outcome.