What word means the act of voting?

The word that means the act of voting, on the USCIS reading vocabulary list, is Election. An election is the formal process by which citizens choose government officials by casting votes. In the United States elections take place at federal, state, and local levels, and the Constitution and federal laws establish the basic framework while states administer most aspects of the process.

Federal elections are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years. Presidential elections occur every four years (2020, 2024, 2028, and so on), with the President chosen by the Electoral College of 538 electors and the candidate needing 270 to win. All 435 House seats are contested every two years, and one-third of the 100 Senate seats are contested every two years.

Primary elections, in which voters choose a party's nominees for the general election, are held earlier in the year and are conducted under state-by-state rules ranging from open primaries (any registered voter can participate) to closed primaries (only registered party members can participate). General elections, in which voters choose among the parties' nominees and any independent candidates, are held in November.

To vote in federal elections a person must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old on or before election day, and meet state residency and registration requirements. Several constitutional amendments expanded the right to vote: the Fifteenth (race), Nineteenth (sex), Twenty-Fourth (poll tax), and Twenty-Sixth (age 18). Special elections fill seats vacated mid-term by death or resignation.

On the reading test Election may appear in a sentence such as "When are elections held?" or "Who runs in an election?"