Defined term

Candidate

Candidate: A person who is seeking nomination or election to a specified office and who either has met the legal requirements to have his/her name printed on…

Verified
🏆 High Consensus
voting
Election Administration

Definition

A person who is seeking nomination or election to a specified office and who either has met the legal requirements to have his/her name printed on the ballot or is eligible to have his/her name written in on the ballot and counted as the voter's choice for the contest. Note - federal campaign finance and some states do not require a person to have filed petitions to be considered a candidate. Raising money alone can make you a candidate.

Alternative Definitions

Definition 2

Person contending in a race for office. A candidate may be explicitly presented as one of the choices on the ballot, or may be a write-in candidate.

Source: NISTType: standard
Definition 3

Person contending in a contest for office.

Source: NIST WebType: semantic
Definition 4

Person contending in a contest for office. A candidate may be explicitly presented as one of the contest options or may be a write-in candidate.

Source: NIST Election GlossaryType: standard
Definition 5

1. A “person whose name is on the ballot or who is entitled to be on the ballot to be voted upon for nomination or election at any election.” S. Dak. Code §12-1-3(1). A “person contending in a CONTEST for office. … A candidate may be explicitly presented as one of the CONTEST CHOICES or may be a WRITE-IN.” 2007 VVSG. candidate. 2. In Guam, “one who either seeks a nomination or is proposed for a nomination by sponsors.” 3 Guam Code Ann. §1114. Cf. NOMINEE.

Source: Electronic Voting GlossaryType: external

Sources

1
Glossary of Election Terms, U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC)
View Source
2
Glossary for Voting Systems, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
View Source
3
NIST Election Terminology Glossary, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
View Source
4
EAC Glossary of Terms
View Source
5
EAC Glossary of Election Terms
View Source
6
NIST Election Glossary
View Source
7
Electronic Voting Glossary
View Source

Continue Research

Browse the full glossary for adjacent terms, or subscribe for updates when definitions and sources are expanded.