Campaign Finance
Supreme Court Party Spending Ruling: What Changed
The Supreme Court’s June 30, 2026 ruling lets political parties pay a candidate’s campaign bills without the federal ceiling that once limited spending planned with the…
Elections and Political Process
Elections and the political process are how Americans choose leaders, organize around ideas, and influence government. The area covers how votes are cast and counted, how campaigns are funded, how parties compete, how district lines are drawn, and how news and media shape public opinion. Federal, state, and local governments all play a part.
55articles
5topics
October 9last updated
An independent team explaining how government works
GovFacts is a nonpartisan site that makes government concepts, policies and programs easier to understand and use.
Referenced by Brookings, CNN, Forbes, Fox News, Pew Research, Snopes, The Hill and USA Today.
The Webby-recognized AI behind our articles »
Referenced by Brookings, CNN, Forbes, Fox News, Pew Research, Snopes, The Hill and USA Today.
The Webby-recognized AI behind our articles »
Latest in Elections and Political Process
Political Parties
Inside the Republican Party’s Post-Trump Power Struggle
The latest meeting of Turning Point USA in Phoenix, Arizona, branded as AmericaFest, shed some light into the future of the American conservative movement. In the…
Economic Indicators
Everything Feels Expensive: What That Means for American Politics
For the American electorate, the price of existence has become a proxy for governance. If the rent is too high, the government is broken. If the…
Elections and Voting
How Generic Congressional Ballots Can Predict Elections
Every election cycle, pollsters ask Americans a simple question: If the House election were held today, would you vote for the Republican or Democratic candidate? This…
Topics in Elections and Political Process
Voting and representation
Electoral System and Voting explains how ballots are cast and counted, and Redistricting and Representation explains how district lines decide who represents whom.
Parties and money
Political Parties covers the organizations that recruit and support candidates, and Campaign Finance covers how money is raised and spent to influence elections.
Media and messaging
Media and Politics covers how news, advertising, and official messages shape what voters know.
All Articles on Elections and Political Process
Why the 2025 Government Shutdown Ended
The government shutdown ended with a funding compromise. The agreement reopened agencies while leaving health-insurance aid and later budgets unsettled.
Do Presidential Debates Change Elections? What the Evidence Shows
Every four years, the American political landscape braces for its marquee event: the presidential debate. The news media often frames these encounters as a…
How Republicans and Democrats Have Handled Past Bigotry Scandals in Their Own Ranks
In October 2025, Politico published thousands of racist, sexist, and pro-Hitler messages exchanged in a private chat group among Young Republicans leaders. The reports…
What Are Democrats’ Positions on Immigration Enforcement?
A reader wrote to ask why we did not address the claim that Democrats want to give undocumented immigrants free health care in order…
How Game Theory Explains the 2025 Government Shutdown
The federal government shutdown of September 2025, the first in more than six years, looks like political chaos. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers…
Why the Minority Party Can Force a Government Shutdown
The Senate minority can block a funding bill through its debate rules. A shutdown follows when Congress and the president fail to enact replacement funding.
How America’s Communications Watchdog Has Shaped the Media
For a century, the Federal Communications Commission has wrestled with technology that outpaces the laws designed to govern it. From the crackle of early…
How America Has Taught Citizenship From the Founding Fathers to Today
Civic education is the lifelong process of equipping people to be informed and engaged members of their communities, from local neighborhoods to the entire…
How Lobbying Became a Multi-Billion Dollar Industry
From hotel lobbies where early petitioners sought lawmakers to today's sophisticated K Street operations, the American influence industry has undergone a dramatic transformation. What…
Primary Elections: Who Can Vote and Why
Primary elections select party nominees for the November ballot. Unlike general elections, participation rules vary dramatically by state. Some states allow any registered voter…