Processes for choosing leaders and representatives, including presidential, congressional, and state and local elections.
The Constitution of the United States: The foundation of American politics, includes provisions for elections.
Electoral Systems: The different ways in which votes are cast, counted, and translated into seats.
Voting Rights: The requirements and rules for who is eligible to vote, and how voting is conducted.
Campaign Finance: The laws and regulations governing the funding of political campaigns.
Political Parties: The organizations that nominate candidates, mobilize voters, and attempt to win elections.
Interest Groups: Organizations that advocate for policies and work to influence elections.
Media and Elections: The role of the media in covering elections and shaping public opinion.
The Electoral College: The unique way in which the President is elected in the United States.
Voter Turnout: The factors that influence voter participation in elections.
Gerrymandering: The practice of drawing electoral districts to give one political party an advantage.
Primary Elections: The process by which political parties nominate their candidates for office.
General Elections: The final stage of the electoral process, in which voters select a candidate for office.
Exit Polls: Surveys of voters as they leave polling places, used to predict election results.
Voting Systems and Technology: The use of computerized voting machines and other technology in elections.
Election Administration: The responsibility of ensuring that elections are conducted fairly and effectively.
Presidential elections: Held every four years to choose the President of the United States.
Midterm elections: Held between presidential elections to elect members of Congress, such as Senators and Representatives.
Primaries and caucuses: Used by political parties to select their candidate for the presidency or other offices.
General elections: Elections held after party primaries or caucuses, where voters cast their ballots for the candidates chosen by their respective parties.
Special elections: Called when a vacancy occurs in a political office, such as when a member of Congress dies or resigns.
Recall elections: Allows voters to remove an elected official from office before their term is up by collecting enough signatures.
Municipal elections: Held to elect local officials, such as mayors, city council members, and school board members.
Statewide elections: Elections that cover an entire state, such as gubernatorial elections.
Write-in elections: Allows voters to write in the name of a candidate who is not on the ballot.
Referendums and ballot initiatives: Allows voters to vote directly on laws or other issues proposed by citizens or the government.
Runoff elections: A second election held if no candidate receives the required number of votes to win the election.
By-elections: A special election held in a single district or constituency to fill a vacancy that has arisen between general elections.
International elections: Held by the US government to monitor the democratic processes of other countries or to assist in the transition to a new government.