Primary definition
The time period that a person, otherwise qualified to be a candidate for any public office or position to be determined by public election, prepares to be a candidate and may receive contributions or make expenditures, or both personally or by another individual.
Also known aspre-candidacy · pre candidacy · pre-election phase · precampaign phase
1 sources cited4 related termsReviewed Aug 10, 2026
— EAC Glossary of TermsView source
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EAC
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
The time period that a person, otherwise qualified to be a candidate for any public office or position to be determined by public election, prepares to be a candidate and may receive contributions or make expenditures, or both personally or by another individual.
EAC Glossary of Terms · 2024
Cite this term
Permanent URL · stable across revisions
Election Security Glossary. (2026). Precandidacy. In Election Security Glossary. Retrieved August 20, 2026, from https://electionsecurityglossary.com/glossary/precandidacy
Sources
1 cited · last checked Aug 10, 2026
01
EAC Glossary of Terms
EAC Glossary of Terms
Single-source
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