How U.S. Elections Work

Elections are straightforward by the end: you see the candidates, and you vote for the candidate you want in office. But the process to select and narrow down candidates can be complex — and take months or years. Learn how U.S. elections work from start to finish.

Election and Voting Law Explained

    • Learn how each political party chooses one person to represent them. Primary elections happen at local, state, and national levels. Info about primary elections >

    • The U.S. does not have compulsory voting. The countries that do make voting required by law (though the penalties are usually mild). Learn about compulsory voting >

    • Learn about the process when a top-voted candidate still falls short of the minimum percentage of votes required. What is a runoff election? >

    • Learn about the intentional corruption of the election process and see examples of these fraud cases in our article about electoral and voter fraud >

The U.S. Election Process: Before the Vote

    • Learn about the meetings needed to discuss and decide which delegates to elect to support a preferred presidential nominee. How do caucuses work? >

    • Citizens can initiate changes to state laws or ask for new laws. This is used for taxes, recalling elections, or anything that concerns the people of the state. Learn about citizen ballot initiatives >

    • Citizens do not vote for a presidential candidate at first. They must choose a group of electors who promises to vote for the person the citizen wants. Confusing? This article has all the details about the electoral college >

The U.S. Election Process: At the Polls

    • Educate yourself on the pros and cons of requiring citizens to vote and learn about the countries that legally prosecute people who do not vote in our article on the compulsory voting debate >

The U.S. Election Process: After the Vote

    • A losing candidate can demand a recount of votes. Learn about the process and which laws apply when contesting an election. >

About FindLaw.com's Voting Resources

The voting articles across this site are meant to help you understand how voting works in the U.S. and be better informed come Election Day. Learn more about us.  

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Learn about the history of the electoral college — including why it was started, and whether it still works today — in our interview with election law expert David Schultz.