Voting

Voting is one of the most important duties of an American citizen. It determines not only the nation’s leaders, but also the direction and policies the government will follow. 

How does it work? 

Voting in the United States is established by the U.S. Constitution and several constitutional amendments. Article I, Section 2 states that members of the House of Representatives are elected by the people of each state. It also provides that, when a vacancy occurs, the state’s governor must issue a writ of election to fill the seat. 

Article I, Section 3 establishes the structure and composition of the Senate. The 17th Amendment changed how senators are chosen, replacing selection by state legislatures with direct election by the people of each state. Unlike House vacancies, Senate vacancies may be filled temporarily by the governor of the state where the vacancy occurs. 

Through voting, Americans choose who represents them in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Presidential and vice-presidential elections work differently. The Constitution establishes the Electoral College as an intermediary between voters and the final selection of the President and Vice President. At times in U.S. history, a candidate has won the presidency through the Electoral College despite receiving fewer popular votes than an opponent. This is a concept that admittedly is counter-intuitive in a country such as the United States that is typically thought of as being an electoral democracy. In reality, the Electoral College is a holdover from the formation of the United States of America as a Republic. 

What does it mean for mid-term elections in 2026? 

In midterm elections, such as those scheduled for November 2026, voters choose candidates for many state and local offices. They also elect every member of the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate. These federal officials help shape national policies and priorities. As members of a coequal branch of government, they also hold significant authority over spending, taxation, duties, and other major responsibilities. 

Because the United States has evolved over the past 250 years and developed a two-party system, midterm elections also determine whether the current majority party keeps control or the opposing party gains it. At present, the Republican Party controls the House, the Senate, and the presidency. 

Currently the House of Representative consists of 218 Republicans, 212 Democrats, 1 independent, and 4 vacancies. This means that laws are passed based on a simple majority of those members present (or by 216 votes). If voting is along party lines, the Republican party can only afford to have 2 Republicans votes against a specific issue brought before that body (assuming the lone independent votes with the Democrats) and still be able to pass the measure or bill. 

The U.S. Senate has much the same margins and is composed of 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and 2 independents which usually vote democrat, thusly giving the Republican party control of the Senate. 

In presidential and vice-presidential elections, voters do not directly elect the President and Vice President. Instead, they vote for a slate of electors pledged to support a specific ticket in the Electoral College, which has 538 total votes. Except in Maine and Nebraska, the candidate who wins a state’s popular vote receives all that state’s electoral votes. For example, if a state has 20 electoral votes and the Democratic candidate wins 75% of the statewide vote while the Republican candidate wins 25%, all 20 electoral votes go to the Democratic candidate. As a result, a candidate can win the national popular vote but lose the Electoral College and therefore the presidency. This has occurred in several U.S. elections, including those involving John Quincy Adams, Rutherford B. Hayes, Benjamin Harrison, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump. John Quincy Adams was a Federalist while the other four Presidents were Republican.