HOW DO AMERICAN ELECTIONS WORK?| 193How 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. Thus we begin by describing the rules and procedures that
defi ne American national elections. These rules and actions are tied directly to
what elections do: select representatives, enable citizens to infl uence the direc-
tion of government policy, and give citizens the opportunity to reward and punish
offi ceholders seeking re-election.
The most visible function of American national elections is the selection of
offi ceholders: members of the House and Senate, and the president and vice presi-
dent. Candidates can be incumbents or challengers. America has a representative
democracy, which means that by voting in elections Americans have an indirect
eff ect on government policy. Although citizens do not make policy choices them-
selves, they determine which individuals get to make these choices. In this way
elections connect citizen preferences and government actions.
The fundamental choice in an election is between two or more candidates run-
ning for some political offi ce—in national elections this means a seat in the House
or the Senate, or the presidency. In part, voters choose between candidates, decid-
ing which individual they would prefer to see in offi ce. But elections also involve
a choice between candidates’ policy platforms, the set of policies and programs
they promise to carry out if elected. By investigating candidates’ platforms, citi-
zens learn about the range of options for government policy. Moreover, their vote
decisions, which lead to the election of some candidates and the defeat of others,
determine who gets to make choices about future government policy and thereby
shape policy itself.
The election process also creates a way to hold incumbents accountable.
When citizens choose between voting for an incumbent or a challenger, they
can consider the incumbent’s performance, asking, “Has she done a good job on
the issues I care about?”^1 Citizens who answer yes typically vote for the incum-
bent, and those who say no typically vote for the challenger. These evaluations
are signifi cant because they make incumbents responsive to their constituents’
demands.^2 If an elected offi cial anticipates that some constituents will consider
his performance when making their decision, he will try to take actions that
these constituents will like. Otherwise, voters can opt to remove him from offi ce
because they disapprove of his performance and believe the
country will fare better if a diff erent candidate wins.
Two Stages of Elections
House and Senate candidates face a two-step procedure.
First, if the prospective candidate wants to run on behalf of
a political party, she must win the party’s nomination in a
primary election. If the would-be candidate wants to run as
an independent, she needs to gather signatures on a petition
to secure a spot on the ballot. Different states hold eitherPRESENT THE MAJOR
RULES AND PROCEDURES
OF AMERICAN ELECTIONSincumbent A politician running
for re-election to the offi ce he or
she currently holds.AMERICAN CANDIDATES, such as
California House member Tom
McClintock, shown here, compete
for different offi ces under a
complex set of regulations. At
the national level, their large
campaign organizations often
spend millions. Even so, elections
are best understood in individual
terms: one candidate trying to win
one citizen’s vote.