National Elections take place every even-numbered year. Every four years the president, vice president, one-third of the Senate, and the entire House are up for election (on-year elections). On even-numbered years when there isn't a presidential election, one-third of the Senate and the whole House are included in the election (off-year elections). Show One of the most important rights of American citizens is the franchise—the right to vote. Originally under the Constitution, only white male citizens over the age of 21 were eligible to vote. This shameful injustice has been corrected and voting rights have been extended several times over the course of our history. Today, citizens over the age of 18 cannot be denied the right to vote on the basis of race, religion, sex, disability, or sexual
orientation. In every state except North Dakota, citizens must register to vote, and laws regarding the registration process vary by State. The path to full voting rights for all American citizens was long and often challenging. The franchise was first extended to African Americans under the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution, passed during the Reconstruction period after the Civil War. These amendments provided that all male citizens, regardless of their race, must
receive equal treatment under the law and not be deprived of their rights without due process. The Fifteenth Amendment is specifically dedicated to protecting the right of all citizens to vote, regardless of race. For practical purposes, this was not the end of the voting rights struggle for African Americans. Because of widespread discrimination in many states, including the use of poll taxes, grandfather clauses, and literacy tests, and other more violent means, African Americans were
not assured basic voting rights until President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act in 1965. Women were denied the right to vote until 1920, when the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified. Prior to that, women had only been able to vote in select States. Federal elections occur every two years, on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Every member of the House of Representatives and about one-third of the Senate is up for reelection in any given election
year. A presidential election is held every fourth year. Federal elections are administered by State and local governments, and the specifics of how elections are conducted differ between States. The Constitution and laws of the United States grant States wide latitude in how they administer elections. Stay ConnectedBy voting at elections for the House of Representatives the people of each electoral division (also called an electorate or a constituency) select a person to represent them in the House. By selecting their representatives the voters, or electors, indirectly select the nation’s government, because the government is formed from the political party or alliance of parties (coalition) which has a majority (or the support of a majority) of the members of the House of Representatives. When are elections held? Under Australia’s Constitution each House of Representatives may last no more than three years from the first meeting of the House after an election, but may be dissolved sooner. General elections are then held to elect all members of the House of Representatives, according to the timetable below. If a seat in the House becomes vacant between general elections, for example, if a member resigns or dies, a by-election is held to elect a new member to represent that electorate until the next general election. Who can stand for election? Candidates for election must be Australian citizens and be eligible to vote. Senators, members of state parliaments, public servants, including defence personnel, and officers of the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) are not eligible to become members of the House of Representatives and must resign their position if they wish to nominate for election to the House. Some public service bodies have arrangements to allow unsuccessful candidates to rejoin the public service after the election. People who are citizens of, or hold allegiance to, a foreign country; who are undischarged bankrupts; or who have been convicted of certain offences are also not eligible to become members. Candidates must be nominated by a political party or by at least 100 electors of the electorate to be contested. However, a sitting member who was elected as an independent needs nomination by only one elector, if they wish to stand again for the same seat. On nomination candidates pay a deposit of $2,000. This is returned if the candidate is elected or receives at least 4 per cent of the (first preference) votes cast in the electorate. Who votes? Australian citizens who are 18 years of age or older are required to enrol as voters unless they are not eligible because, for example, they are of ‘an unsound mind’ or serving a sentence of imprisonment of three years or more. Voting is compulsory for all people enrolled. People who do not vote may be fined. Who conducts the election? The AEC, a statutory authority headed by the Electoral Commissioner, is responsible for the administration of all Commonwealth electoral matters including, for example, the conduct of elections, the maintenance of up-to-date lists of electors (electoral rolls) and the drawing of electorate boundaries. An election takes place in response to a formal order (writ) from the Governor-General (or the Speaker in the case of a by-election) requiring the Electoral Commissioner to conduct an election. For a general election a single writ is issued for each state and territory.
AEC staff counting the votes on an election day Voting The ballot paper for each electoral division lists candidates’ names and shows the parties they represent (if they do not represent a party, candidates may request to be shown as an ‘Independent’). Candidates are listed in a random order, determined by drawing lots. The system of voting used in elections for the House of Representatives is preferential, that is, voters have to rank all candidates in order of preference—they may not just vote for one candidate. Voters are directed to mark their vote on the ballot paper by placing numbers in the squares opposite the names of the candidates so as to indicate their order of preference, for example, if there are three candidates, by writing the numbers 1, 2 and 3 in the appropriate squares. Ballot papers which are incorrectly filled out (informal) are not valid and are not included in the count. Preferential voting is designed to produce the election of the candidate who is most representative of the wishes of an electorate. To be successful a candidate must be supported by the majority (that is, more than half) of voters. This system is considered fairer than a non-preferential (first-past-the-post) system under which the candidate with the most votes is elected, even though he or she may have support from less than half the voters. The result—declaration of the poll and return of the writs The result of each election is announced (declared) as soon as possible after counting has been completed in the electoral division. Following a general election, when the results for all divisions have been declared the Electoral Commissioner certifies on each writ the name of the successful candidate for each division and returns the writs to the Governor-General, who in turn forwards them to the Clerk of the House of Representatives. The validity of an election may be challenged by a petition addressed to the Court of Disputed Returns (the High Court acting in a special capacity). This may occur if it is alleged that a candidate was not eligible to become a member for one of the reasons listed earlier in this infosheet or if it is claimed that there has been some irregularity in the election process. Disclosure of income and expenditure, public funding All candidates are required to make returns to the Electoral Commission detailing any donations they have received for electoral purposes and electoral expenditure they have incurred or authorised. Political parties also have to submit annual returns or copies of their audited accounts. Disclosure laws also apply to other people involved in the electoral process. This information is publicly available on the Electoral Commission website. Candidates who receive at least 4 per cent of the (first preference) vote are reimbursed for electoral expenses by a specified amount for each such vote they receive. Election funding is paid either to a registered political party on behalf of each endorsed candidate or is paid direct to a candidate who is not endorsed by a registered party. This amount (currently approximately $2.91 per eligible vote) is indexed every six months for inflation. Electoral divisions Australia is currently divided into 151 electoral divisions, each represented by one member. Under the Constitution each existing state is guaranteed at least five members, but all states except Tasmania now have more, the numbers depending on their population. States may gain or lose members as a consequence of population movements. Because of Australia’s uneven distribution of population, electoral divisions differ greatly in area, ranging from 32 sq. km (Grayndler, NSW) to over 1.3 million sq. km (Durack, WA). At April 2022, there was an average of approximately 113,490 electors per electorate. One year after a new parliament first meets, the AEC uses the latest population statistics to determine how many electorates each state and territory is entitled to. The entitlement determination in 2017 resulted in an increase in the number of electorates from 150 to 151 at the 2019 general election (with the ACT gaining the new seat). Electoral boundaries are reviewed regularly and, if necessary, adjusted (redistributed) to reflect population changes. The aim of redistribution is to ensure that electoral divisions within each state or territory contain approximately an equal number of electors. The number of electoral divisions in each of the states and territories at the next general election is below.
When is the next general election? The next House of Representatives general election will be held in 2025. For more information House of Representatives Practice, 7th edn, Department of the House of Representatives, Canberra, 2018, Australian Electoral Commission website: www.aec.gov.au Image courtesy of Arthur Mostead, AEC. Timetable for general elections How often do members in each part come up for election?Every four years the president, vice president, one-third of the Senate, and the entire House are up for election (on-year elections). On even-numbered years when there isn't a presidential election, one-third of the Senate and the whole House are included in the election (off-year elections).
How many members are there in the House of Representatives?There are currently 435 voting representatives. Five delegates and one resident commissioner serve as non-voting members of the House, although they can vote in committee. Representatives must be 25 years old and must have been U.S. citizens for at least 7 years.
How long is a senator's term?Senators are elected to six-year terms, and every two years the members of one class—approximately one-third of the senators—face election or reelection.
What is the difference between the House of Representatives and the Senate?Members of the U.S. House of Representatives each represent a portion of their state known as a Congressional District, which averages 700,000 people. Senators however, represent the entire state.
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What percentage of house seats are up for election in any given federal election year?
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