What are the different types of elections?

In Washington, there are several different types of elections. Primarily, there are primary elections, general elections, and special elections. A primary election is an election used to decide which candidate will represent a political party in the general election. In Washington, there are two different types of primary elections; the top-two primary and the blanket primary. The top-two primary requires all candidates, regardless of their political affiliations, to appear on a single ballot. The top two vote-getters proceed to the general election. In the blanket primary, each candidate is listed separately according to their political party affiliation and the top vote-getter from each party in each office proceeds to the general election. A general election is the election held to decide the winner of an office. All eligible candidates from the primary elections participate in the general election and the winner takes office. Special elections are held to fill offices that have been vacated or are newly created. In addition to these types of elections, Washington also has initiatives and referendums. Initiatives are legislative proposals that are proposed by citizens and are put to a vote. If the initiative is approved, it becomes law. Referendums are submitted by the state legislature and allow citizens to vote to either repeal or approve an existing law.

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What are the different types of elections?

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