U.S. Elections 2012

Free and fair elections are the keystone of any democracy. They are essential for the peaceful transfer of power. 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.

Background materials for the election and election process in the United States of America:

 • 2012 Primary Schedule
 • Campaign Finance Reform and the 2004 Election  (McCain-Feingold)
 • FAQs
 • Federal Election Commission Regulates Presidential Campaigns
 • Financing Campaigns
 • Glossary of U.S. Election Terms
 • The Role of Political Parties
 • USA Elections in Brief or e-Book (PDF, 3.8Mb)

U.S. Elections News

• American Political Candidates Need More than Money to Win
• Election Officer Training Ensures Fairness at U.S. Polls
• Visiting Journalists Learn About U.S. Political Process
• Romney Win in First Republican Race in West Fails to Shrink Field
• After Florida, Republican Presidential Hopefuls Move West
• American Electorate Has New Face for 2012 Race
• South Carolina Voters Keep Things Interesting in White House Race
• Whew! That Was Close

11 January 2012 Republican Candidates Face New Hampshire Voters  On January 10, voters in the New Hampshire primary became the first Americans to cast secret ballots in the long race for the U.S. presidency.  When the votes were counted, Mitt Romney — a former governor of neighboring Massachusetts — had won, with nearly 40 percent of the vote. Ron Paul finished second with 23 percent and Jon Huntsman third with 17 percent.

04 January 2012 Iowa Has Spoken. Does It Matter?    Iowa is important in the U.S. election process because it is the first political referendum on presidential candidates. It tests the candidates’ stamina, poise, fundraising ability and organizational skills, but success in Iowa is no guarantee of future success, nor does failure in Iowa mean the death of a campaign.

04 January 2012 Financing Campaigns   Federal law dictates how candidates for the federal offices of president, senator and representative — and certain of their political allies — may raise funds, as well as from whom and in what amounts. Federal campaign finance laws are separate from state laws that regulate elections for state and local offices.

04 January 2011 U.S. Elections: Caucuses Explained  What are caucuses? How do they work? Find out how Americans pick their presidential candidates through caucuse in our U.S. Elections video.

28 December 2011 U.S. Elections: 2012 Primary Schedule  For those states holding primaries, voters go to polling places and cast their ballots. In caucus states, voters gather in meeting places throughout the state to discuss candidates and reach a consensus on which candidate they will support.

02 November 2011 Federal Election Commission Regulates Presidential Campaigns  Candidates for president of the United States come from all walks of life. Many are career politicians; others are political activists, wealthy businessmen, or even professional entertainers.  Regardless of their backgrounds or incomes, all must appear on each state’s separate ballot and all must abide by rules enforced by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

01 November 2011  Road to the White House Is Paved with Delegates   On November 6, 2012, Americans will go to the polls to cast their ballots for the man (or woman) who will serve as U.S. president for the following four years, but first they must select delegates who will vote at national conventions to determine which candidates appear on those ballots.

05 November 2010 No Major Foreign Policy Shift After U.S. Midterm Election  Following major Republican gains in the November 2 midterm elections, President Obama is expected to face challenges implementing his agenda, but the foreign policy objectives are not expected to change, political experts say.

04 November 2010 Midterm Elections Reduce but Retain Democratic Majority in Senate    Democrats and Democratic-caucusing independents will hold at least 52 seats and Republicans at least 47 in the 112th Congress that convenes in January 2011. The outcomes of two races in the far northwestern part of the nation were still inconclusive on November 4. The midterm elections will shift the composition of the Senate a bit to the right as Republicans gain seats, but Democrats will retain control of the chamber when the next Congress convenes.

03 November 2010 Midterms Show Voters Still Worried About Economy, Obama Says   Reacting to the 2010 midterm elections November 2 that resulted in the Democratic Party losing control of the House of Representatives, slimming its majority in the Senate and losing some gubernatorial contests, President Obama said American voters had sent a message that they are frustrated with the state of the U.S. economy and acknowledged he had not made as much progress as he had hoped on several domestic concerns.
• Press Conference by President Obama on Midterm Elections

29 October 2010 State Governors Play Key Role in U.S. Government    No presidential contest will top U.S. ballots on November 2, but citizens in 37 states are choosing a chief executive who probably will have a greater effect on their daily lives than a U.S. president ever will.  Governors head state governments that loosely mirror the U.S. federal government with executive, legislative and judicial branches. The governor performs many of the same functions at the state level that the U.S. president does at the national level: sets policy, appoints department heads, prepares and administers a budget, recommends legislation, and signs laws. In most states, the governor also plays an important role in appointing state and local judges.

29 October 2010 Divided U.S. Government Can Work, Scholars Say  The prospect of a divided U.S. government — with a president from one political party and at least one chamber of Congress controlled by the other party — has raised questions about what the next two years might be like in Washington.

28 October 2010 Popularity, Effectiveness Determine Obama's Midterm Campaigning    President Obama was warmly welcomed to the popular comedy program The Daily Show, but during his lengthy interview with host Jon Stewart, it became clear the president had not come to tell jokes or offer humorous anecdotes about White House life.

28 October 2010 Nonstop Reporting and Analysis Affects U.S. Midterm Elections  "Ideological" Internet and cable television news shows running day and night with commentators expressing personal opinions about political candidates could affect the outcome of the November 2 midterm elections, political experts say.  Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said that although critics may decry the latest trend toward ideological media, "which only reinforces people's viewpoints instead of challenging them, the proliferation of new media outlets is positive too."

28 October 2010 American Muslims Look to Exercise Their Vote in Midterm Elections   Discussions over Islam’s place in America ahead of national midterm elections are prompting American Muslims to make their voices heard through voting.

28 October 2010 "Watergate" Reporter Stresses Patience, Accuracy, Fact-Gathering   American investigative journalist Bob Woodward, the winner of two prestigious Pulitzer Prizes for distinguished work in journalism, met with some 150 journalists from 125 countries in an interactive session at the U.S. Department of State. The event was part of the fifth Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists, named for the award-winning and pioneering broadcast journalist.

27 October 2010 Midterm Senate Races Pose Tough Challenges for Incumbents  On Election Day, only 37 U.S. senators will be chosen, but those political contests are among the most contentious in the 2010 elections.  U.S. senators, who serve six-year terms, are divided into three groups for staggered elections. Approximately one-third of the seats are filled every two years.

27 October 2010 Republicans Poised for Gains in U.S. House of Representatives   Republicans and Democrats are campaigning feverishly in the final days before the nationwide congressional elections November 2. Nearly all analysts predict the Republican Party will gain seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.  Those predictions from pollsters and politicians differ only in the extent of the shift, and whether it will be sufficient to turn the House majority from Democratic to Republican.

26 October 2010 Young U.S. Voters Ready for Election Day    Young American voters registered in numbers higher than expected to cast their ballots in the November midterm elections, continuing a trend of increased political participation by young U.S. citizens.  Rock the Vote, a U.S. organization seeking to engage young Americans in politics, registered nearly 300,000 youth to vote in the November elections, exceeding its registration goal by 50 percent.

America Votes: 2010 Midterms  Summary of articles from our sister site, America.gov

26 October 2010 Small but Enthusiastic Movement Influencing Midterm Elections  It is a story nearly all American students learn: In December 1773, angry with British tax and trade policies, colonists sneak aboard British ships in the Boston harbor and dump the cargoes of tea overboard. The Boston Tea Party, as it came to be called, shaped America’s independence movement.  Today, a small but enthusiastic group of Americans is using this event to symbolize their frustration over U.S. economic policies and are playing an influential role in the 2010 midterm elections.

22 October 2010 On Election Day, U.S. Voters Find More than Candidates on Ballot   When American voters head to the polls November 2, many are not just selecting their future leaders. They are weighing in on a variety of issues, including how their taxes are spent or what rights their state constitutions guarantee.

21 October 2010 Midterm Elections Determine Control of U.S. Congress  On November 2, Americans will cast their ballots to determine who will represent them in the 112th Congress, scheduled to convene in January 2011. These elections, because they occur in even-numbered years at the halfway point of a presidential term, are known as midterm elections. This timing encourages pollsters and political pundits to view the outcomes as referendums on the policies of the current president, but that narrow interpretation can distract from their true importance.

21 October 2010 Americans Can Vote Early, Use New Technology in Midterm Elections   As the U.S. midterm elections approach, Americans have more options than ever in deciding how and when to exercise their right to vote.  More than 3 million people already have cast their ballots, and voting will continue in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories through November 2.

06 October 2010 Economic Recession Influences U.S. Midterm Election   The results of the November 2 U.S. midterm election will likely reflect Americans’ discontent about the country’s slow economic recovery, according to political scientist Thomas Mann.  Mann, a Washington-based Brookings Institution scholar and the former executive director of the American Political Science Association, says the public’s concern about President Obama’s handling of the recession should allow the opposition Republican Party to make large gains.