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''To enroll, see [[Conservapedia:American Government Fall 2010]].''

''To enroll, see [[Conservapedia:American Government Fall 2010]].''

Consider the Tuesday after the first Monday in November: what is special about that day? It is Election Day in the "United States of America."<ref>The term the "United States of America" was first coined in the late 1700s by Thomas Paine, who also wrote ''Common Sense''.</ref> This is the day that determines who runs government.

Welcome to this course in American Government & Politics. The full title is "Government" '''''and''''' "Politics" because it is impossible to understand one without the other.  Government policies are dictated by elected officials, and they care most about being reelected. To understand why government acts in certain ways, it is necessary to understand elections first.

This year Election Day is the earliest it can possibly be:  November 2nd, which is the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.  Election Day can never be on November 1st because then the Monday would be in October rather than November.

In every year divisible by four, such as this 2012, there is a presidential election, an election of every "seat" or position in the House of Representatives, and an election of one-third of the U.S. Senate.  (One third and all of the House of Representatives are elected every two years, such that by every six years every Senate seat has stood for election.) Many state offices are also on the ballot on Election Day.

Election Day is only two months from now.  With each passing day the political excitement and anticipation will grow.  Everyone in Congress and the White House is repeatedly thinking and worrying about Election Day.  Congressmen and the President spend each day following and reacting to what they see on the internet, on television, and in newspapers, because this is what affects their popularity and ability to be reelected.

Election Day officially is the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, but with "early voting" most people will actually vote before Election Day this year, either by mail or by going to a polling booth that is open for voting before the official Election Day.

In every ''even-numbered'' year, 435 members of the House of Representatives and one-third of the members of the U.S. Senate are elected to serve in Washington, D.C.  In every year divisible by four, a president is also elected; these are called presidential elections, and other elections are called "midterm elections" because they occur halfway during a president's term.

Every political leader is thinking about who will win on Election Day, and millions of other other Americans are thinking about it also. It's like the Super Bowl or World Series.  Billions of dollars in political advertisements are being spent to try to influence voters before they vote.

In ''odd-numbered'' years, there are no federal elections (unless there is a special election to fill a vacancy).  But two states elect their state officials in odd-numbered years:  New Jersey and Virginia.

There are many other election days in addition to the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.  There are "primary" election days, on which each political party selects its "nominee" or candidate to represent the party in the November (general) election.

Politicians think about their moment of reelection nearly every day, and it influences much of what they do.   

 

 

Politicians think about their moment of reelection nearly every day, and it influences much of what they do.  Note that not all politicians are in the same election, and many people in government (such and United States judges and many workers in Washington, D.C.) never face an election.  But everyone who creates new laws, from the members of the House of Representatives (called "congressmen") to the members of the Senate (called "senators") to the President, must defeat opponents in elections to attain power or stay in power.

We will discuss this in more detail later, but it is worth mentioning here too.  There are three branches of federal government:  legislative (Congress), executive (President and numerous agencies under his supervision), and the judiciary (the courts).  In addition, there is state government, which is completely independent of the federal government in our unique system of dual sovereigns.  There is also free enterprise (the free market), which is regulated by government but has an independent influence on Elections, as the economy has good times and bad and thereby affects how people vote.

We will discuss this in more detail later, but it is worth mentioning here too.  There are three branches of federal government:  legislative (Congress), executive (President and numerous agencies under his supervision), and the judiciary (the courts).  In addition, there is state government, which is completely independent of the federal government in our unique system of dual sovereigns.  There is also free enterprise (the free market), which is regulated by government but has an independent influence on Elections, as the economy has good times and bad and thereby affects how people vote.