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Tuesday, November 3, is Election Day in the United States, the day on which nationwide elections take place. Americans will vote to elect the next political leaders at the local, state, and national levels. More than 90 million people—a record number—have already voted early, either in person or by mail. The rights of citizens to select their leaders is a key feature of democracy, a type of government ruled by the people.

The primary presidential candidates include the Republican President Donald J. Trump and the Democratic nominee former Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Trump became president of the United States in 2017. He had previously been known as a high-stakes real estate developer and reality television personality. In the 2016 presidential election, Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, a former first lady, U.S. senator, and secretary of state. Trump’s running mate is Vice President Mike Pence. Prior to his election as vice president, Pence had been the governor of the Midwestern state of Indiana since 2013.

Biden served as vice president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. In 2008, Biden and Senator Barack Obama, who was elected president, defeated their Republican opponents, Senator John McCain of Arizona and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. In 2012, Obama and Biden were reelected. They defeated former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and former U.S. Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. Before becoming vice president, Biden had represented Delaware in the United States Senate since 1973.

Biden’s vice-presidential running mate is Senator Kamala Harris. She became the first Black woman and the first person of Indian descent to be placed on the presidential ticket of a major political party. Before becoming a member of the United States Senate in 2017, Harris served as attorney general of California. Attorney general is the state’s chief law officer.

Americans will vote not only for a president; many will also vote for lawmakers to represent their states. These lawmakers will fill seats in one of the country’s two lawmaking bodies, the House of Representatives and the Senate. Races for House and Senate seats—as well as races for state and local offices—are known as downballot or downticket races. They are called that because they may be influenced by the turnout for the presidential election at the top of the ballot.

Many of our readers are not eligible to vote. (Voters must be age 18 or older.) But, we encourage you to learn about the candidates and to talk to the adults in your life about their voting plan.

November 6, 2012

Tens of millions of Americans go to the polls to decide whether President Barack Obama, a Democrat, should be reelected or replaced by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate. The very long, very costly, hard-fought campaign dealt largely with who could better heal the battered U.S. economy and the role of government in the lives of Americans. Polls show the race is neck and neck, though the president holds a slender lead in such crucial swing states as Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Governor Mitt Romney

President Barack Obama

U.S. citizens are also voting on 11 state governorships, one-third of the seats in the 100-member U.S. Senate, and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives. Political experts predict that Democrats will retain control of the Senate and Republicans will hold their majority in the House. Turnout is described as heavy, even in those areas of New Jersey and New York that were damaged by Superstorm Sandy one week ago.

Additional World Book articles:

• Joe Biden
• Electoral College
• Paul Ryan
• 2008 Elections: A Pivotal Choice (a special report)
• Tempest in a Tea Party (a special report)