William_T._Bianco,_David_T._Canon]_American_Polit

298 Chapter 9 | Elections

The 2017 special election in Alabama is also a good example of the central themes

of this text. Elections matter: no one watching the Alabama race would think that

Jones and Moore would support the same policies if elected. Candidates competing

for political office offer the people distinct, competing visions of what the federal

government should do—from what the tax code should look like, to what regulations

the government should impose on individuals and corporations. In a very real sense,

elections are how Americans resolve conflict over whose vision of government policy

should prevail—at least until the next election.

American elections are also about rules. The reason that the 2017 Alabama special

election happened at all lies in the rules surrounding a chain of events after Trump’s

election. Trump’s appointment of then-senator Jeff Sessions to the post of attorney

general left a Senate seat open in Alabama because of the Constitution’s stipulation

that cabinet members cannot simultaneously serve in Congress. The special election

then took place according to Alabama’s rules about replacing members of Congress

between regular elections.

More generally, candidates in American elections are elected for different periods of

time to represent districts, states, or the entire nation—places that vary tremendously

in terms of what constituents want from government and the logistical requirements

for running a credible campaign. A variety of rules determine who runs, who votes, and

how money is raised and spent. Even ballot layouts and how votes are cast and counted

vary across states. All these aspects of the election process—who runs, how candidates

campaign, and how voters respond—shape who wins and who loses, what happens in

Washington, and ultimately the policies that affect people’s everyday lives. Ultimately,

how meaningful was Doug Jones’s victory in Alabama—or the combination of Democratic

House victories and Senate defeats in 2018? What can it tell us about why some

candidates win and others lose? Why do these outcomes matter in American politics?

How Do American Elections Work?

The American political system is a representative democracy: Americans do not make

policy choices themselves, but they vote for individuals who make these choices on

their behalf. This section describes the rules and procedures that define American

national elections.

Functions of Elections

Our working assumption for explaining the rules and processes of elections as well as

the behavior of candidates and voters is that they are tied directly to what elections do:

select representatives, give citizens the ability to influence the direction of government

policy, and provide citizens with the opportunity to reward and punish officeholders

seeking reelection.

Selecting Representatives The most visible function of American elections is

the selection of officeholders, including, at the national level, members of the House

and Senate and the president and vice president. Candidates can be incumbents,

PRESENT THE MAJOR RULES

AND PROCEDURES OF

AMERICAN ELECTIONS

510,000

The total number of federal, state,

and local elected offices in the

United States.

Source: Jennifer Lawless, Becoming a

Candidate

DID YOU KNOW?

incumbent

A politician running for reelection to

the office he or she currently holds.

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