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A Handout for Meetup Organizers
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Conversation Starter Series
Crazy About Elections!
What You Need to Know
• In the United States of America, citizens choose between competing candidates for the person they believe will best represent their
interests in public office. The winning candidate faces another
election once his or her term expires. Some positions have term
limits, meaning that no person can be elected to the same position more than a set number of times.
• Although the President is elected every four years, Americans
participate in local, state, and national elections, which we call
general elections (see below), every two years.
Fast FACT
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
was elected president
four times before the 23rd
Amendment was added to
the Constitution, limiting
future presidents to two
terms.
• On the national level, members of the House of Representatives
are elected every two years while members of the Senate are
elected every six years (although only one-third of the Senate is
up for election during any given election year so as to maintain
institutional continuity).
Talking Points
Q
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What types of elections do we have in the U.S.?
There are several different stages in the selection of a public official,
but the most important milestones are the primary and general
elections. There are also special elections (or in some cases, runoff
elections) that occur in non-election years or in the event that an
official’s seat unexpectedly becomes vacant.
• Primary Elections: several months before the general election,
there is usually a primary election. Primaries allow multiple candidates within the same political party to earn their party’s nomination to be on the ballot in the general election. States differ in
their rules about who can vote in primary elections. For example,
in some states, only registered voters affiliated with a party can
vote in that party’s primaries (where voters choose the candidate
that will go on to represent the party in the general election). In
other states, you can vote in any party’s primary regardless of your
party affiliation.
• General Elections: when voters choose between two (or sometimes more) candidates, each representing a different political
party, for a seat in public office. Most elections rely upon a direct
In our two-party political system, it is usually two candidates. For more information on this, please
see our handout, “Where’s the Party?”
VOTE
• Runoff Elections: sometimes used to break ties between candidates but otherwise not common in the United States. Ten states,
however, provide for runoff elections (and primaries) even without
a tie. Runoff elections differ from first past the post elections by
holding multiple rounds of voting until one candidate receives a
majority of support by those voting.
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• Special Elections: unforeseen elections that must be scheduled
and held because an elected official cannot finish his or her term
in office.
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• Midterm Elections: congressional elections that occur in nonpresidential election years. 2010 is a year of “midterm elections.”
Midterm elections can greatly impact which political party has the
most influence in the federal government. Often, when Americans
are dissatisfied with the performance of the current President, they
will vote for a different party in the midterm congressional elections. Likewise, if voters are pleased with the President’s performance, they can be more likely to support that party in Congress
during the midterm elections. Historically, however, Americans
tend to vote in a manner (intentionally or not) that puts one party
in control of the White House and another in control of Congress
(meaning that party has more than 50 percent of the seats in one
or both houses).
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vote, choosing one candidate, whereby the candidate with the
most votes wins—even if he or she does not have an absolute
majority of voter support (a method known as first past the post).
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Fast FACT
When it comes to presidential
elections, some states have
“caucus” meetings instead of
“primary” elections. A caucus is
simply the meeting state-wide,
at different locations, of
registered party members
to select delegates to the
party’s national convention.
Delegates are chosen because
of the candidate they pledge
to support at the Convention.
The candidate with the most
delegates pledging support is
the winner of that state’s caucus.
• Instant Runoff Elections: Instant runoff elections allow voters to
rank the candidates in order of preference. The candidate with
a majority of first choice votes wins the election. If no candidate
gains a majority, the candidate with the least amount of first
choice votes is removed and his or her votes are “transferred” to
the voter’s second choice candidate. This process will continue
until a candidate gains a majority of votes cast.
Where You Can Learn More
Who gets to vote in U.S. elections?
http://newsok.com/runoff-electionsallow-small-minority-of-voters-togive-nominees-a-majority-of-votes/article/3487765
First and foremost, a person who wants to vote has to be a citizen
(naturalized or by birth) of the United States. Second, he or she has
to be over 18 years of age. Also, in some states, people convicted of
a felony crime (or otherwise incarcerated) may not be able to vote.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, a person who wants to participate in an election has to register to vote.
Registering to vote is the formal/official act of declaring your intention and desire to vote in your state of residence. Most states require
that individuals register to vote several weeks prior to Election Day.
Nine states, however, currently let residents register to vote at the
election site. This is known as Election Day Registration.
http://www.fairvote.org/fvo-glossary
http://www.america.gov/st/elections08-english/None/None/
20080423221537eaifas0.6036188.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_election
Overseas Voter Registration:
www.overseasvotefoundation.org
Military Voter Registration: https://military.overseasvotefoundation.org
Youth Vote Overseas: https://yvo.overseasvotefoundation.org
Domestic US Absentee Voter Registration:
www.longdistancevoter.org
Overseas Vote Foundation
4786 N. Williamsburg Blvd
Arlington, VA 22207-2836 USA
Telephone: +1 202 470 2480
Email: [email protected]
www.overseasvotefoundation.org/initiatives-CocktailPartyCivics
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www.meetup.com/CocktailPartyCivics