QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

  Types of Elections

• What types of elections are held in the United States?

  What are midterm elections?

  What is a convention?

• What is a caucus?

 The Electoral Process

• How are Presidents and Vice Presidents of the United States nominated?
  
  
• How are Presidents and Vice Presidents elected?
  
  
• What is the "electoral college''? What is its role in the election of the President and Vice President of the United States?
  
  
• Did the electoral college ever vote unanimously for any President?
  
  
• How are Senators and Representatives nominated and elected?
  
  
• What are the qualifications to vote in a national election?
  
  
• Who is responsible for the administration of elections in the United States?
  
  
• How was the choice of a national election day made?
  
  
• What federal laws regulate the financing of election campaigns?
  
  
• Who pays for the campaigns of candidates for federal office?
  
  
• How much can individuals contribute to candidates' campaigns for federal office?
  
  
• How much may interest groups contribute to candidates' campaigns for federal office?
  
  
• How much may political parties contribute to candidates' campaigns for federal office?
  
  
• How much may candidates spend on their campaign for federal office?
  
  
• How does public funding of Presidential elections work, and how may candidates qualify to receive it?
  
  
• What about spending outside of a candidate's control? Does federal law regulate such efforts to influence elections?
  
  
• What is "soft money'"?
  
  
• Campaign Disclosure

 Requirements For Voting, Running For Office

• Who can vote?

• What are the requirements for running for elected office in the United States?

 Scheduling Elections

• When are general elections held?

• When are primary elections held?

 Electoral College

• What is the Electoral College?

• How does the Electoral College elect the president?

• For which races is the Electoral College used?

 Other Questions

• Why is voter turnout sometimes low in the United States?

• What are the symbols of the U.S. political parties?

• Do organizations tell people how to vote? What does it mean when a union or newspaper "endorses" a candidate?