08 June 2008

Elections and the Electoral Process

(The following article is taken from the U.S. Department of State publication, How the United States is Governed.)

Federal elections are held in November of even-numbered years. Just as the President, Senators, and Representatives have overlapping constituencies, their terms also overlap.

• All Representatives are elected every two years by the voters of the district they represent.

• Senators serve six-year terms, with one-third of them up for election every even year. Senators are chosen in statewide elections and represent all residents of their states.

• The President and Vice President are elected together every four years in a nationwide election.

The election process begins well in advance of the actual election as individuals declare their candidacies for office. In the congressional election process, if more than one candidate from the same party seeks the office, a primary election is held to determine which candidate will be on the ballot in the general election.

The primary process for presidential elections is different from congressional elections. Beginning in January and lasting through June of the election year, states hold presidential primaries or caucuses. The results of these ballots determine how many delegates will represent each respective candidate at the national party nominating conventions, which are usually held in July or August. These political conventions are where each party's nominee is actually selected.

In the general election in November, Senators and Representatives are elected by plurality vote – the candidate receiving the most votes wins, even if it is not a majority. In presidential elections, each state is allocated a number of electoral votes equal to the sum of U.S. Representatives and Senators for that state. The District of Columbia, though not a state, has three electoral votes.

The presidential candidate who wins the popular vote in a state "wins" that state's electoral votes, usually in a winner-take-all manner. After elections in each state are certified, the electoral votes won by each candidate are counted. If a candidate receives a majority of the electoral votes (at least 270 of the 538 total), he or she is declared the winner. If no candidate wins a majority of electoral votes, the U.S. House of Representatives chooses the winner, with each state delegation having one vote. Because the President is not elected directly by the people, it is possible for a candidate to receive a plurality of the popular vote and yet lose the election.