All Americans gain from being able to participate in a regular schedule of free and fair elections to choose those who govern us.
- Government for the people: We gain representation among our lawmakers – and we gain opportunities to hold our lawmakers responsible for their actions – because we can choose not to elect or re-elect them.
- Government of and by the people: Any of us can compete for an elected office if we want to try.
- Stability: Leaders and political parties can gain power without having to use violence. Our preferred leaders and political parties always have new chances to compete.
If you want to learn more about how elections work, check out our short read “Things You Might Not Know About Elections.”
