Two Elections, Not One
When Americans talk about "the election," they usually mean the general election in November. But every candidate on that ballot got there through a separate, earlier contest, a party nomination process, that has changed dramatically over the country's history. Understanding how elections work means understanding both stages.
Sources & Further Reading
- National Archives, Constitution Annotated: Article II, Presidential Eligibility
- National Archives, Constitution Annotated: Article I, Qualifications of Members
- U.S. Election Assistance Commission, Poll Worker Resources
- National Conference of State Legislatures, State Primary Election Types
- National Conference of State Legislatures, Absentee and Early Voting
- Federal Election Commission, Registering as a Candidate
- Federal Election Commission, Contribution Limits
- U.S. Department of Defense, Federal Voting Assistance Program
- Democratic National Committee, Delegate Selection Rules
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, United States Presidential Election Process
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, King Caucus
- Congressional Research Service, The Electoral College and Certification of the 2020 Presidential Election
- U.S. Vote Foundation, Help America Vote Act Overview
- Supreme Court of the United States, Citizens United v. FEC (2010)
This page draws on the U.S. Constitution and its Annotated Constitution guide published by the Library of Congress and Congress.gov, official rules and reports from the Federal Election Commission, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, and the Democratic and Republican national parties, the National Conference of State Legislatures' state-by-state election law tracking, and Encyclopaedia Britannica's historical reference entries. State-level rules referenced here, particularly around ballot access, primary types, and voting methods, change periodically; figures and specific state examples are current as of 2026 and should be verified against a state's own election authority before relying on them for a specific filing deadline or eligibility question.