A general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation’s primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections. In presidential systems, the term refers to a regularly scheduled election where both the president, and either “a class” of or all members of the national legislature are elected at the same time. A general election day may also include elections for local officials. The term originates in the Elections in the United Kingdom for the House of Commons.
