diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/settings/ClusterSettings.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/settings/ClusterSettings.java
index 2437f1a43dcbc..b1bb84cff4d6f 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/settings/ClusterSettings.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/common/settings/ClusterSettings.java
@@ -352,7 +352,7 @@ public void apply(Settings value, Settings current, Settings previous) {
             Node.INITIAL_STATE_TIMEOUT_SETTING,
             DiscoveryModule.DISCOVERY_TYPE_SETTING,
             DiscoveryModule.DISCOVERY_SEED_PROVIDERS_SETTING,
-            DiscoveryModule.ELECTION_TYPE_SETTING,
+            DiscoveryModule.ELECTION_STRATEGY_SETTING,
             SettingsBasedSeedHostsProvider.DISCOVERY_SEED_HOSTS_SETTING,
             SeedHostsResolver.DISCOVERY_SEED_RESOLVER_MAX_CONCURRENT_RESOLVERS_SETTING,
             SeedHostsResolver.DISCOVERY_SEED_RESOLVER_TIMEOUT_SETTING,
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/discovery/DiscoveryModule.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/discovery/DiscoveryModule.java
index 889790eca2ee4..63b24537c2dd9 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/discovery/DiscoveryModule.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/discovery/DiscoveryModule.java
@@ -76,10 +76,10 @@ public class DiscoveryModule {
         Setting.listSetting("discovery.seed_providers", Collections.emptyList(), Function.identity(),
             Property.NodeScope);
 
-    public static final String DEFAULT_ELECTION_TYPE = "default";
+    public static final String DEFAULT_ELECTION_STRATEGY = "default";
 
-    public static final Setting<String> ELECTION_TYPE_SETTING =
-        new Setting<>("cluster.election.type", DEFAULT_ELECTION_TYPE, Function.identity(), Property.NodeScope);
+    public static final Setting<String> ELECTION_STRATEGY_SETTING =
+        new Setting<>("cluster.election.strategy", DEFAULT_ELECTION_STRATEGY, Function.identity(), Property.NodeScope);
 
     private final Discovery discovery;
 
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ public DiscoveryModule(Settings settings, ThreadPool threadPool, TransportServic
         hostProviders.put("settings", () -> new SettingsBasedSeedHostsProvider(settings, transportService));
         hostProviders.put("file", () -> new FileBasedSeedHostsProvider(configFile));
         final Map<String, ElectionStrategy> electionStrategies = new HashMap<>();
-        electionStrategies.put(DEFAULT_ELECTION_TYPE, ElectionStrategy.DefaultElectionStrategy.INSTANCE);
+        electionStrategies.put(DEFAULT_ELECTION_STRATEGY, ElectionStrategy.DefaultElectionStrategy.INSTANCE);
         for (DiscoveryPlugin plugin : plugins) {
             plugin.getSeedHostProviders(transportService, networkService).forEach((key, value) -> {
                 if (hostProviders.put(key, value) != null) {
@@ -139,9 +139,9 @@ public DiscoveryModule(Settings settings, ThreadPool threadPool, TransportServic
             return Collections.unmodifiableList(addresses);
         };
 
-        final ElectionStrategy electionStrategy = electionStrategies.get(ELECTION_TYPE_SETTING.get(settings));
+        final ElectionStrategy electionStrategy = electionStrategies.get(ELECTION_STRATEGY_SETTING.get(settings));
         if (electionStrategy == null) {
-            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Unknown election type " + ELECTION_TYPE_SETTING.get(settings));
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Unknown election strategy " + ELECTION_STRATEGY_SETTING.get(settings));
         }
 
         if (ZEN2_DISCOVERY_TYPE.equals(discoveryType) || SINGLE_NODE_DISCOVERY_TYPE.equals(discoveryType)) {
diff --git a/x-pack/plugin/voting-only-node/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/coordination/VotingOnlyNodePlugin.java b/x-pack/plugin/voting-only-node/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/coordination/VotingOnlyNodePlugin.java
index 866352fca462f..dcb2eef290199 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugin/voting-only-node/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/coordination/VotingOnlyNodePlugin.java
+++ b/x-pack/plugin/voting-only-node/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/coordination/VotingOnlyNodePlugin.java
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ public class VotingOnlyNodePlugin extends Plugin implements DiscoveryPlugin, Net
     public static final Setting<Boolean> VOTING_ONLY_NODE_SETTING
         = Setting.boolSetting("node.voting_only", false, Setting.Property.NodeScope);
 
-    private static final String VOTING_ONLY_ELECTION_TYPE = "supports_voting_only";
+    private static final String VOTING_ONLY_ELECTION_STRATEGY = "supports_voting_only";
 
     static DiscoveryNodeRole VOTING_ONLY_NODE_ROLE = new DiscoveryNodeRole("voting_only", "v") {
         @Override
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ public Map<String, ElectionStrategy> getElectionStrategies() {
         if (XPackSettings.VOTING_ONLY_ENABLED.get(settings) == false) {
             return Collections.emptyMap();
         }
-        return Collections.singletonMap(VOTING_ONLY_ELECTION_TYPE, new VotingOnlyNodeElectionStrategy());
+        return Collections.singletonMap(VOTING_ONLY_ELECTION_STRATEGY, new VotingOnlyNodeElectionStrategy());
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ public Settings additionalSettings() {
         if (XPackSettings.VOTING_ONLY_ENABLED.get(settings) == false) {
             return Settings.EMPTY;
         }
-        return Settings.builder().put(DiscoveryModule.ELECTION_TYPE_SETTING.getKey(), VOTING_ONLY_ELECTION_TYPE).build();
+        return Settings.builder().put(DiscoveryModule.ELECTION_STRATEGY_SETTING.getKey(), VOTING_ONLY_ELECTION_STRATEGY).build();
     }
 
     static class VotingOnlyNodeElectionStrategy extends ElectionStrategy.DefaultElectionStrategy {