What is a general election?

A general election is the election in which voters choose between candidates from different parties and independent candidates to fill an office. General elections are the main elections held to elect officeholders, in contrast to primary elections, where voters within a party choose that party's nominee.

In federal elections, general elections for the President are held every four years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. General elections for the U.S. House of Representatives are held every two years on the same November date, with all 435 seats up for election in each cycle. General elections for the U.S. Senate are held every two years, with about one-third of the 100 Senate seats up for election in each cycle (Senate terms are six years, divided into three classes that rotate).

Federal general elections held in years that are also presidential years (such as 2024) are simply called presidential elections. Federal general elections held in even-numbered years between presidential elections (such as 2022 or 2026) are called midterm elections, since they fall in the middle of the President's four-year term.

State and local general elections are held on a variety of schedules. Most states hold general elections for governor and other state offices either in midterm years or in odd-numbered years (such as Virginia and New Jersey). Local elections vary widely, with some held on the November federal election date and others held in the spring. Some local elections are nonpartisan, meaning candidates do not run with party labels on the ballot.

In partisan general elections, the candidates on the ballot include the nominees of each major party (chosen through primaries or conventions), plus any independent or third-party candidates who qualified for the ballot. Ballot access requirements vary by state. The major-party nominees automatically appear; minor-party and independent candidates often must collect petition signatures to qualify.

The candidate who receives the most votes wins, generally by plurality (the most votes, even if not a majority). A few states use ranked-choice voting in some elections, in which voters rank candidates in order of preference and votes are reallocated until one candidate receives a majority. Maine uses ranked-choice voting for federal general elections.

Election rules in the United States are largely set by state law, leading to significant variation across the country in voter registration, ballot access, voting times and methods, identification requirements, and other procedures.