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Content: ELECTIONS
1
USA
ELECTIONS
in Brief
2American voters going to the polls often face many choices. 1
Free and fair electionsare the keystone of any democracy. They are essential for the peaceful transfer of power. When voters elect representatives, they elect the leaders who will shape the future of their society. This is why elections empower ordinary citizens: They allow them to influence the future policies of their government, and thus, their own future. The United States has been a representative democracy since the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1788—although the electoral tradition began during the colonial era and had its roots in British history. This book discusses the nature of the modern American electoral process and how it works at the federal, state, and local levels. The process, complicated and sometimes confusing, has evolved to ensure universal suffrage to all men and women who are U.S. citizens 18 years of age or older. INTRODUCTION
Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, left, and vice presidential nominee Joe Biden wave to fellow Democrats at the party’s 2008 national convention in Denver, Colorado.