American Elections
Under the American system of government, presidential, congressional and
state governor elections are held at different intervals and under different circumstances.
General elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
Many elections are thus held simultaneously. An elector may vote for President, House district, Senate, Governor, State legislature and a host of other positions on the same occasion.
Special elections may be held at any time.
Presidential Elections
The president and vice president are elected to four-year terms in
even-number years evenly divisible by 4 (e.g. 1992, 1996, 2000, etc.)
The 22nd amendment to the Constitution limits presidents to no more than
two terms.
In the event the presidency becomes vacant due to death, permanent
disability, resignation or impeachment, the vice president becomes the
new president. During the temporary disability of the president, the
vice president serves as acting president. In the event of a vice
presidential vacancy, the president nominates a replacement who must be
approved by Congress before taking office as the new vice president. [MORE]
Senate Elections
Senators are elected to six-year terms in even-numbered years. The
terms are staggered so that the terms of approximately one-third of all
Senators expire every two years. Thus, approximately 30-36 Senate seats
are up for re-election every two years. The Constitution establishes no
limit on the number of terms a person may serve in the Senate.
If a senator dies, resigns or is expelled, the governor of the affected
state appoints a temporary replacement who holds office until a special
election can be held to elect a replacement. [MORE]
House of Representatives Elections
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are elected to two-year
terms in even-numbers years. In the event a representative dies,
resigns or is expelled, a special election is held to elect a
replacement. The Constitution establishes no limit on the number of
terms a person may serve in the House.
The four non-voting delegates to Congress from the District of Columbia,
Guam, the Virgin Islands and America Samoa are also elected to two-year
terms in even-numbered years, while Puerto Rico's non-voting resident
commissioner in Congress is elected to a four-year term in the same years
as presidential elections are held. [MORE]
Gubernatorial Elections
The constitution of each state specifies the terms of office for its
governor. As a result, governors may serve either a two- or four-year
term. In most states, governors are elected in even-numbered years, but
in several states gubernatorial elections are held in odd-numbered
years. The number of terms a governor may serve also varies from state
to state. A number of states allow governors to serve an unlimited
number of terms, while others restrict governors to a single term.
In most states, political parties hold primary elections to select their
candidates for governor and federal office. In a number of states,
however, party members meet in conventions or caucuses to select their
candidates. Each state determines its own date for holding primary
elections, with most primaries taking place in the period May-September
immediately before the general election. [MORE]
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