The skier is being pulled by a rope attached to the boat and has to enter the course through the first pair of red gate buoys, go to the outside of all 6 red turn buoys and then exit the course through the last pair of red gate buoys. There are predetermined speeds and rope lengths.
An absentee ballot is a vote cast by someone who is unable or unwilling to attend the official polling station or to which the voter is normally allocated. Numerous methods have been devised to facilitate this.
The definition of an independent voter is controversial and fraught with implications. The earliest concept of independents is of a person whose political choices, by definition, were made based on issues and candidates (due to lack of party affiliation).