Elections & terms
nominating caucus
A party meeting where members gather in person to choose delegates, instead of casting a secret ballot in a primary.
In full
Caucuses are run by the parties, not by election officials, and typically require attending at a set time for an extended meeting, which depresses participation compared with a primary. Most states have moved to primaries; the party caucus in Congress, a group of members, is an unrelated use of the same word.
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.