What does electing mean?
"Electing" is the present participle and gerund of the verb "elect," meaning to choose someone for an office, position, or membership by voting. It is most commonly encountered in political contexts — voters are described as electing presidents, legislators, or local officials — but it also applies to organizations selecting officers, boards, or members through formal balloting. A secondary, slightly more formal sense means simply to choose or decide on a course of action, as in "she was electing to postpone the decision." The word carries connotations of legitimacy and collective choice: what is elected has been sanctioned by a vote rather than imposed unilaterally. Derived from the Latin eligere, meaning "to pick out" or "to select," it belongs to a family of words including election, electorate, and electoral that underpin the vocabulary of democratic governance worldwide.
verb (present participle and gerund of "elect")The present participle of "elect": choosing someone for a position, office, or membership by voting. As a gerund, it refers to the act of making such a choice or selection.
- Choosing a person for office or position by voting.
- Selecting or deciding on something (less common, often with 'to' + infinitive: 'elected to stay').
"After hours of debate, the committee is electing a new chairperson."
"Voters are electing a new parliament this November."
"Facing rising costs, she was electing to delay her retirement."
Every time a democracy holds an election, it's using a word the ancient Romans would recognize — from Latin eligere, 'to pick out.'
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of electing
"Electing" derives from the Latin eligere, meaning "to pick out" or "to select," formed from e- (out) plus legere (to gather or choose). The word passed into English via Old French elire in the Middle Ages, initially carrying strong religious connotations of being chosen by God before acquiring its dominant political sense. Its cognates include election, electorate, and electoral, all sharing the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How electing is actually used
Mostly used in formal, political, or organizational contexts. The gerund form appears frequently in phrases like 'the process of electing.' The sense 'to choose (to do something)' — as in 'he elected to resign' — is somewhat formal but common in journalism.
Easily confused with electing
"Eligible" describes being qualified to be chosen, while "electing" is the act of choosing someone by vote.