Primary and
general elections
Q:
What types of elections are there?
A:
There are three basic types -- primary,
general and local. In addition, "special elections" can be called which are limited to one specific
purpose, e.g., filling a vacancy.
Q:
What is a primary election?
A:
A primary election is a nominating election
in which a candidate is chosen by a political party. A primary election can be either open or
closed. If a primary election is closed, only those who are members of the respective
party may vote. An open primary is one in which any eligible voter, regardless of party
affiliation, may vote.
Q:
What is a general election?
A:
A general election is an election held to
choose among candidates nominated in a primary (or by convention or caucus) for federal,
state and local office. The purpose of a general election is to make a final choice among the
various candidates who have been nominated by parties or who are running as independent or
write-in candidates. In addition, where nonpartisan races have not been decided in the primary,
the runoffs are held at the general election. Statewide measures also can be placed on the
November ballot.
Q:
When is a general election held?
A:
It is held on the first Tuesday after the first
Monday of November in even-numbered years.
Q:
Can anyone run for office? What is
necessary to become a candidate?
A:
Each elected office has different
requirements. To run for president of the United States the candidate must:
Be a natural-born citizen of the United States
Be at least 35 years of age, and
Be a resident of the United States for at least 14 years.
U.S.
Constitution, Article 2, section 2, paragraph 5
Senate candidates shall be at least 30 years of age, a U.S. citizen for nine years, and a resident
of the state when elected.
U.S.
Constitution, Article 1, section 3, paragraph 3
House of Representatives candidates shall be at least 25 years of age, a U.S. citizen for
seven years, and a resident of the state when elected.
U.S.
Constitution, Article 1, section 2, paragraph 2
State and locally elected officials are subject to the requirements of their jurisdictions.
Q:
Why are federal elections held on the
Tuesday after the first Monday in November?
A:
The Tuesday after the first Monday in
November was initially established by federal law in 1845 for the appointment of presidential
electors in every fourth year. In 1875, lawmakers established this day for electing
representatives in every even numbered year. In 1914, it also became the day for electing U.S.
senators.
Why early November? For much of our history, America was a predominantly agrarian
society. Lawmakers therefore took into account that November was perhaps the most
convenient month for farmers and rural workers to be able to travel to the polls. The fall harvest
was over, (spring was planting time and summer was taken up with working the fields and
tending the crops) but in the majority of the nation the weather was still mild enough to permit
travel over unimproved roads.
Why Tuesday? Since most residents of rural America had to travel a significant
distance to the county seat in order to vote, Monday was not considered reasonable since many
people would need to begin travel on Sunday. This would, of course, have conflicted with
church services and Sunday worship.
Why the first Tuesday after the first Monday? Lawmakers wanted to prevent election
day from falling on the first of November for two reasons. First, November 1st is All Saints Day,
a Holy Day of Obligation for Roman Catholics. Second, most merchants were in the habit of
doing their books from the preceding month on the 1st. Apparently, Congress was worried that
the economic success or failure of the previous month might prove an undue influence on the
vote!
Q:
Why do so few people vote? Is there no
penalty for not voting, like in Australia?
A:
Several factors seem to influence voter
turnout. Many observers believe that current registration laws hinder voter turnout.
Demographic composition of the electorate, long periods of political or economic stability,
predictable outcomes in many races, and lack of some candidates' appeal are other factors
determining voter turnout. Turnout tends to be higher in general elections than in primary
elections.
Although seriously discussed, compulsory voting has never been enacted into law in the United
States. Regard for the vote as a right and a privilege rather than a duty might have its
foundation in the Constitutional establishment of a group of "electors" who were designated
within the states for the single, specific purpose of choosing a president. (U.S. Constitution,
Article 2, section 1.) Although the franchise now extends to almost every citizen 18 years or
older, in the beginning of the Republic, the right to vote was limited to adult males who either
owned property or paid taxes.
Electoral College
Q:
Can you please explain the difference
between the popular vote and the Electoral College vote?
A:
The Electoral College system gives each
state the same number of electoral votes as it has members of Congress. The District of
Columbia also gets three electoral votes. There are a total of 538 votes, and a candidate must
get 270 to win. All but two states have a winner-take-all system, in which the candidate who
gets the most popular votes in the state gets all that state's electoral votes. In most states,
electors are chosen at district and state party conventions. The electors of the party of the
winning candidate are the ones who vote in the Electoral College. The electors usually gather
in their state capitals in December to cast their votes. The electoral votes are then sent to
Washington, where they are counted before a joint session of Congress in January. Legislation
is introduced in Congress periodically to drop the Electoral College and pick a president based
on popular vote. The legislation usually doesn't get very far.
A:
Has any president been elected without a
majority of the popular vote?
A:
There have been 17 presidential elections
in which the winner did not receive a majority of the popular vote cast. The first of these was
John Quincy Adams in the election of 1824 and the most recent Bill Clinton in 1996.
The electoral college system generally gives all of a state's electoral votes to the winner in that
state, no matter how slim the margin. Thus it has happened that candidates have been elected
even though they received fewer popular votes than their opponents. Both Rutherford B. Hayes,
in 1876, and Benjamin Harrison, in 1888, were elected in this manner. In the case of Hayes, a
special electoral commission was called in 1877 to decide the contested returns.
John Quincy Adams also received fewer popular votes than his opponent, Andrew Jackson, in
the election of 1824, but his election was decided by the House of Representatives because
Jackson failed to win a majority of Electoral College votes. On several occasions, the popular
vote pluralities of the Electoral College victors have been razor-thin or even questionable. One
instance was the election of John F. Kennedy over Richard M. Nixon in 1960.
For more information on the Electoral College and how it works, please go to the National
Archives' site on Frequently Asked
Questions on the Electoral College.
Miscellaneous
FAQs
Q:
Why does the president swear on a Bible
for inauguration if there is a separation between church and state in the U.S.?
A:
When presidents and other federal
officials take their oaths of office, they often place their hand on a Bible and conclude their
oaths with the words "so help me God." However, the Constitution of the United States, Article
2, section 1, paragraph 8, reads "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the
duties of the Office of President..." The "(or affirm)" was inserted in this section to allow
presidents to avoid swearing oaths to God as a condition of taking office. Elected
representatives shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support the Constitution; but no
religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the
United States.
Q:
What are the symbols of the Republicans
and Democrats?
A:
The elephant represents the Republican
Party and the donkey represents the Democratic Party. Both images were created by political
cartoonist Thomas Nast for the publication Harper's Weekly in 1874. Nast created a
marauding elephant to represent the "Republican vote." The symbol was quickly embraced by
Republicans as their party's own. Speaking of the Democrats in the Minnesota Legislature,
Ignatius Donnelly remarked, "The Democratic Party is like a mule -- without pride of ancestry
or hope of posterity."
Q:
Do labor unions and other organizations
tell people how to vote? What does it mean when a union or newspaper "endorses" a
candidate?
A:
Voting in U.S. elections is conducted by
secret ballot, and a voter's choice is private. Historically, especially in the early and mid-20th
century, labor unions wielded a strong political influence over their members. Since the
Vietnam War era, however, differences between union leaders and members have become
more common. The "endorsement" of a candidate by a union means the union publicly
supports the candidate and approves the candidate's stand on issues. While unions
encourage members to join in that support, it would be unlawful to coerce a member to vote
against his or her own judgment.
