Exception Franchise Age:
17 permitted to vote in primary elections if 18 on or before the day of the general election
Compulsory Vote:
Not compulsory
Eligibility Exception:
convicted felons, the mentally incompetent (most States)
Right Vote Foreign Res:
No right to vote for non-citizens
Expat Residency Requirement:
Expatriate citizens always have right to vote with no time limit
Registration Type:
Mixed (Lower Level)
Election Management & Enforcement
Nameof EMB:
Federal Election Commission
Independent EMB:
No
Who Runs Election:
Election Management Body
Nameof Elect Enforcement Body:
Legislature
Candidacy & Campaign Rules
Debate Average:
3
Debate Format:
Some of the debates can feature the candidates standing behind their podiums, or in conference tables with the moderator on the other side. Depending on the agreed format, either the moderator or an audience member can be the one to ask questions. Typically there are no opening statements, just closing statements. A coin toss determines who gets to answer the first question and who will make their closing remarks first. Each candidate will get alternate turns. Once a question is asked, the candidate has 2 minutes to answer the question. After this, the opposing candidate has around 1 minute to respond and rebut her/his arguments. At the moderator's discretion, the discussion of the question may be extended by 30 seconds per candidate.
Debate Mandatory Number:
Not mandatory
Campaign Length Minimum:
Not Legally Determined
Debate Mandatory Number:
Not mandatory
Opinion Polls Embargo:
No embargo
Electoral System & Organisation
Elect System Main Election:
Plurality
Main Election Type:
Presidential
Main Election Cycle:
4
Numb Round Main Election:
One
Referenda_Law:
Provisions for Direct Democracy exists only on State level, regulated separately by each State.
Referenda_Binding:
Wiki: There is no provision for the holding of referendums at the federal level in the United States, which the Constitution does not provide for.
Rules Non Fixed Term:
Congress and the President remain in office until January the following year. Most U.S. states and territories also have fixed terms for their legislatures and executives, and most hold their general elections on the federal Election Day, though several states hold off-year elections instead.
Voting Machine:
Mechanical (punchcard etc)
Vote IDRequired:
ID required in most states
National Holiday Elect Day:
Sometimes
Dayof Election:
Tuesday
Districting Flexibility:
Redistricting bodies vary across the United States; in some cases, the State Legislature is in charge of redistricting, in others a split partisan group or a paid external commission. In several states, the entire state comprises a single constituency. After each census, the state legislature must re-distribute the constituencies to ensure primarily, equality of population and secondarily address representation of minority groups.
Frequency Districting Change:
10
Election Night Traditions:
Voting on a Tuesday, Voting in November, No Drink and Voting (Utah, you won't be able to buy any alcoholic beverages the day of the election), Voting Stickers.
Polling Station
Average Voterby Polling Station:
800
Listof Polling Station Buildings:
Types of buildings to consider using as Vote Centers include: Shopping Malls Grocery Stores Community Centers Large meeting rooms, i.e. public library, city/county government buildings, etc. Gymnasiums. Election Day polling places should be selected based on location within the neighborhood served by the polling place. Types of buildings to consider for possible use as precinct-specific or consolidated polling places include: Church activity and/or community rooms School meeting rooms and gymnasiums, etc. VFW, American Legion and/or Masonic Lodge activity rooms City/county government meeting rooms Apartment clubhouses Country Club meeting rooms National Guard and other training centers Retirement building meeting rooms Area business meeting rooms Individual homes—often garages are used.
Accessibility Requirement:
Party to UNCRPD
Box Feeding System:
Voter
Vote Receipt:
receipt of participation
Count Locallyor Centrally:
locally
Manualor Automatic Count:
automatic
Nature Counting Personnel:
Election officials
Ballot Paper
Ballot Type:
Paper and Electronic
Ballot Paper Type Photo Upload:
YES
Remote Voting
Temporal Remote Voting:
Automatic right
Geographical Remote Voting:
Automatic right
Personal Remote Voting:
No
Time Temporal Remote:
2
Remote Voting List:
Voting from outer space; absentee voting; voting by mail
Mobile Polling Stations:
3
Special Needs
Provision First Time Voters:
The US State of Arizona and the Rock the Vote organiza- tion, for example, sent congratulatory birthday cards to every Arizona voter turning 18 before the November 1998 elections. In 1997, the US President Bill Clinton, for example, appeared at a Rock the Vote reception to commend the achievements of the organization in reaching out and involving young people in the electoral process. + News Articles. Pennsylvania First Time Voter Web Guide. California website Voter Information.
Provision Illiterate Voters:
A member noted that a provision in the state of California states that voters, regardless of their abilities or needs, can be assisted by two people.
Provision Linguistic Ethnic Minorites:
Some bilingual pollworkers, audio ballots in different languages. The language minority provisions of the Voting Rights Act require that when a covered state or political subdivision provides registration or voting notices, forms, instructions, assistance, or other materials or information relating to the electoral process, including ballots, it shall provide them in the language of the applicable minority group as well as in the English language.
Provision Blind Voters:
Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act (1983, last amended 2013) Section 1, subsection (a) states: Within each State, except as provided in subsection (b), each political subdivision responsible for conducting elections shall assure that all polling places for Federal elections are accessible to handicapped and elderly voters. Section 3, subsection (a) states: Each State shall make available registration and voting aids for Federal elections for handicapped and elderly individuals, including (1) instructions, printed in large type, conspicuously displayed at each permanent registration facility and each polling place and (2) information by telecommunications devices for the deaf.
Provision Deaf Voters:
Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act (1983, last amended 2013) Section 1, subsection (a) states: Within each State, except as provided in subsection (b), each political subdivision responsible for conducting elections shall assure that all polling places for Federal elections are accessible to handicapped and elderly voters. Section 3, subsection (a) states: Each State shall make available registration and voting aids for Federal elections for handicapped and elderly individuals, including (1) instructions, printed in large type, conspicuously displayed at each permanent registration facility and each polling place and (2) information by telecommunications devices for the deaf.
Provision Motor Handicap Voters:
Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act (1983, last amended 2013) Section 1, subsection (a) states: Within each State, except as provided in subsection (b), each political subdivision responsible for conducting elections shall assure that all polling places for Federal elections are accessible to handicapped and elderly voters. Section 3, subsection (a) states: Each State shall make available registration and voting aids for Federal elections for handicapped and elderly individuals, including (1) instructions, printed in large type, conspicuously displayed at each permanent registration facility and each polling place and (2) information by telecommunications devices for the deaf.
Targeted Initiatives
History Major Changes:
Congress lowered the national voting age to 18 in a 1970 bill that extended the Voting Rights Act.Tthe Twenty-sixth Amendment constitutionally protects voting rights for individuals between 18 and 21 years old.