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Civic Engagement, Elections, and Voting

This guide holds information on civic engagement, elections, and voting to help cultivate informed citizens.

General Information on U.S. Elections

General Elections

The General Election is held the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. In general elections you vote for federal, state, and/or local officials.

  • Elected federal officials to Congress are U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives.
  • Elected state officials are Governor, Lieutenant Governor, General Assembly, Attorney General, Auditor General, and State Treasurer.
  • Elected local officials can include county and city officials, judges, and magisterial district judges, etc.
  • Every four years, the General Election is also a Presidential Election.

In odd numbered years, such as 2025, general elections for electing local officials are also called municipal elections because there are no federal or state officials being elected.

Primary Elections

In primary elections, a party selects a candidate for a General Election, and you vote for a Candidate who will be nominated to be on a ballot. Article 1, section 4 of the U.S. Constitution gives individual states the right to decide when and how elections are conducted. As a result, every state has different dates for their elections and follow different rules.

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Federal elections occur for the following

  • President
    • Serves a 4-year term
  • U.S. Congress
    • House of Representatives
      • Serve a 2-year term
        • The number of representatives per state are based on U.S. Census population data
    • Senate
      • Serve a 6-year term
        • Each state is given 2 senators regardless of population

Federal elections, also known as congressional elections, occur every 2 years. During every federal election, every seat in the House of Representatives is up for election, as well as one third of the seats in the Senate. Congressional elections determine who represents your state in the federal government and which political party will hold a majority in each chamber (U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate) for the next two years. The Presidential election happens during every other federal election (every 4 years). Federal election years when the president is not up for election are referred to as midterms.

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U.S. presidential elections occur every four years on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November. The president-elect is sworn into office the following January 20.

2024 is a presidential election year. Learn more about presidential elections via the resources below.

State and local elections can take place in any year and at various times throughout the year.

Many state and local governments are organized similarly to the U.S. government with legislative, executive, and judicial officials. But how the government works and who and what you can vote for depends on your state, county, or city.

  • Legislative officials make local or state laws and can include:
    • Representatives in the state legislature which acts as the state’s law-making body similar to the U.S. Congress 
    • County council members who make laws and policies that affect local budgets, zoning, land use, tax rates, and other local initiatives
  • Executive officials generally enforce the laws and policies that legislative officials make. State and local executive officials can include:
    • State governors
    • County executives
    • City mayors
  • Judicial officials can include state or local judges.
  • You may also be able to vote on proposed local or state laws and policies known as ballot measures. Ballot measures that are created by citizen groups are called ballot initiatives.

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