General elections in the United States

General elections in the United States
Name	General elections in the United States
Country	United States
Type	legislative, executive
Election date	Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years
Last election	2022 United States elections
Next election	2024 United States elections
Seats for election	President, Senate, House of Representatives, state and local offices
Electoral system	First-past-the-post, Electoral College, various others

General elections in the United States are the primary mechanism for selecting public officials at the federal, state, and local levels of government. Held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even-numbered years, these elections determine the composition of the United States Congress, the occupant of the White House every four years, and thousands of positions in state legislatures, governorships, and local jurisdictions. The process is a complex, decentralized system governed by a combination of the U.S. Constitution, state laws, and local regulations, involving tens of millions of voters and billions of dollars in campaign expenditures.

Overview and constitutional basis

The framework for American general elections is primarily established by the U.S. Constitution and its amendments. Article I grants states the power to prescribe the "Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections" for Congress, while Article II outlines the original process for selecting the President of the United States through the Electoral College. Critical amendments have expanded the franchise, including the Fifteenth Amendment prohibiting racial discrimination, the Nineteenth Amendment granting women's suffrage, and the Twenty-sixth Amendment setting the voting age at 18. The Voting Rights Act of 1965, a landmark act of Congress, further enforced these constitutional guarantees against discriminatory practices.

Election administration

Elections are administered in a highly decentralized manner, with primary authority resting with individual states and their localities. Each state has a chief election official, such as the Secretary of State in most states, who oversees statewide rules and certification. Day-to-day administration, however, is conducted by thousands of local county or city election boards, such as the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk or the Cook County Clerk. These local bodies are responsible for tasks including maintaining voter rolls, designing ballots, operating polling places, and counting votes. The Election Assistance Commission, a federal agency created after the 2000 election, provides voluntary guidelines and distributes funds to states for improving election administration.

Voter eligibility and registration

Voter eligibility is fundamentally governed by state law within federal constitutional parameters. Basic requirements include U.S. citizenship, residency in the state and locality, and being at least 18 years old by Election Day. All states except North Dakota require eligible citizens to register to vote before casting a ballot, with processes and deadlines varying significantly. Many states now offer Online voter registration and same-day registration, while others maintain earlier deadlines. The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (the "Motor Voter" law) requires states to offer voter registration opportunities at departments of motor vehicles and public assistance agencies. Certain states, like Maine and Vermont, allow prisoners to vote, while others impose varying restrictions on individuals with felony convictions.

Voting methods and ballot types

The methods by which Americans cast ballots have evolved significantly. While traditional in-person voting at designated polling places remains common, Early voting periods and absentee voting by mail have expanded greatly, a trend accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Several states, including Colorado, Hawaii, and Washington, conduct elections primarily by mail. Voting technology ranges from hand-marked paper ballots counted by optical scanners to direct-recording electronic (DRE) machines. Ballot design, such as the infamous "Butterfly ballot" used in Palm Beach County during the 2000 United States presidential election, can significantly impact election outcomes. The format of ballots also varies, with some states using the Office-block ballot and others the Party-column ballot.

Federal elections: President and Congress

Federal general elections select the President of the United States and members of the United States Congress. Presidential elections occur every four years, where voters technically cast ballots for a slate of presidential electors pledged to a candidate, as mandated by the Electorial College. The candidate who secures at least 270 electoral votes wins the presidency, a system that has occasionally resulted in the winner of the National Popular Vote losing the election, as occurred in 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016. Congressional elections occur every two years, with all 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives and approximately one-third of the 100 seats in the United States Senate up for election. These races are heavily influenced by national trends, fundraising from organizations like the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and redistricting following the United States Census.

State and local elections

Concurrent with federal contests, general elections feature a vast array of state and local races. Voters elect governors in most states, as well as state legislators, attorneys general like those in California or Texas, and other statewide constitutional officers. At the local level, elections are held for county executives, mayors of cities like New York City or Chicago, city council members, sheriffs, district attorneys, school board members, and judges. Many jurisdictions also use general elections to decide on ballot initiatives and referendums on issues ranging from tax policy to social matters, a process pioneered in states like Oregon and California. The rules governing these elections, including campaign finance limits and term limits, are set by individual states.

Electoral integrity and controversies

Issues of electoral integrity and allegations of controversy are persistent features of American general elections. Concerns include allegations of voter suppression, Gerrymandering of congressional districts, the influence of "dark money" from groups like Americans for Prosperity, and the vulnerability of voting infrastructure to cyber threats. Major contested elections, such as the 1876 election resolved by the Compromise of 1877 and the 2000 election decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in Bush v. Gore, have led to significant reforms and ongoing debate. More recently, false claims of widespread fraud following the 2020 United States presidential election prompted audits, litigation, and the formation of the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack, highlighting deep partisan divisions over election legitimacy and security.

Category:Elections in the United States Category:Political terminology of the United States