About Election
When citizens make their voices heard, society changes. That’s why we have elections – to determine who makes the decisions that affect us all: health care, what kind of air and water we breathe, how law enforcement protects our communities, the direction of foreign policy and more. Sometimes it feels like our votes don’t matter, but every vote matters. In fact, one vote can change the entire course of an issue or even an entire country.
A country’s constitution and laws dictate who can vote. Usually, only citizens are eligible to vote; however, people who are incarcerated or underage may also be barred from voting. Voting systems can vary, but they generally fall into two categories: proportional or majoritarian. Proportional systems include party-list or proportional representation systems, while majoritarian systems consist of first-past-the-post and other methods of majority voting.
The most visible elections are the federal ones, such as those for the president and Congress, but many state and local races occur as well. These can have just as much of an impact on voters, especially when they address specific issues close to home, such as school funding or tax increases. In some states, the Electoral College is responsible for selecting the president and vice president; the candidate with the most electoral votes wins. This is a complicated process, and NPR has a good explainer on the ins and outs. Some states also allow early in-person or mail balloting. Check your state or local elections website for information.