National elections (for the President & Congress) take place in even numbered years, while state and local elections (for Governor, state officials, General Assembly, and city officials) take place in odd numbered years . Virginia's government allows voters to amend, or change, the state’s constitution, while many local governments, including Salem, allow voters to pass or reject referendums, which are government proposals.

To vote in Virginia, a person must be a US Citizen and a resident of Virginia, 18 years old by election day, and registered to vote at least 22 days before election day. There are 3 ways to register to vote in Virginia. The first way is in person at local voter registration office, or a registrar. The second way is by mail. An application can be received at a local or state government offices, a Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office, or at a public library. The last way is online at the VA Department of Elections website.

The United States has not always been a nation where everyone has had suffrage (the right to vote), and through legislation and constitutional amendments, different American citizens have been granted the right to vote at different times.

The 15^th Amendment (1870) granted the right to vote to African Americans, though the 24^th Amendment (1964), which banned poll taxes, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which banned literacy tests (a test requiring voters to prove that they could read) would be needed to enforce the right.

The 19^th Amendment (1920) granted women the right to vote. Other voting amendments include the 23^rd Amendment (1960) gave Washington DC electoral votes in the Presidential election, and the 26^th Amendment (1971) changed the voting age from 21 to 18.

Political parties play a key role in government and provide opportunities for citizens to participate in the political process. Political parties have 4 main functions:

-to win elections

-to recruit and nominate candidates

-to educate the people about campaign issues, and

-to monitor the actions of officeholders.

There are two major political parties in the USA: the Republicans and the Democrats.

There are also minor political parties, which are known as third parties. Examples of third parties include the Libertarian, Green, Constitutional, Reform, and Labor parties.

Third parties don’t win a lot of elections for a number of reasons. First, state election laws favor the major parties. Third party candidates also lack the funding that major parties enjoy. Lastly, there is a lack of voter confidence in a third party victory.

Despite not winning many elections, third parties have made a political impact. Third parties often introduce new ideas and/or press for a particular issue. Third parties also can take votes away from the two major parties, as third parties had a major effect on the 1968, 1992, and 2000 Presidential elections.

Third parties usually revolve around a strong political personality, like Theodore Roosevelt with the Bull Moose Party in the early 1900's.

Political parties are similar in a few ways. All political parties exist to win elections, as being elected to government positions allows political parties to influence laws and public policies. All political parties also try to appeal to a wide range of voters- parties try to appeal to the center of the political spectrum to get the most support.

Differences between the parties are stated in party platforms and reflected in campaigning.

Candidates are chosen to run in 1 of 2 ways: by nomination at a party convention where party delegates chose a candidate; and through a primary, which is an election in which members of the same party run against each other. Primaries can be open (anybody can vote) or closed (only party members can vote). A candidate runs a campaign for 3 reasons: to win, to raise money for their campaign, and to introduce themselves and their beliefs to the public.

The candidate’s staff works on all aspects of a campaign- from fundraising, polling, speeches, and advertising to travel, volunteers, and image. Candidates spend most of their time trying to raise money because the cost of campaigning can be very expensive. The money raised is used to pay for the needs of the campaign and the staff. Most campaigns lose money, so contributions/donations help make up the deficit. When candidates aren’t fundraising, they are traveling around the areas where they are running to make public appearances and give speeches.

In addition to speeches, candidates use the media to get their message out, from television, newspapers, and the internet to social media, photo ops, and interviews. In addition to giving candidates a platform, the media also plays a role in elections in several other ways. One way the media plays a role in elections is through publishing content, such as writing editorials, creating political cartoons, publishing op-ed pieces, and posting to social media and blogs. The media also plays a role in elections by emphasizing selected issues and broadcasting different points of view.

The Federal Elections Commission (FEC) forces campaigns to report where they got money from and how the money was used. The FEC also limits how much money a campaign can receive from individuals or their political party. Candidates can spend an unlimited amount on their own campaign, so wealthy people have an advantage in running for office.

Individuals, businesses and other entities like labor unions & interest groups participate in politics by making political contributions. Contributors can donate directly to a candidate, to a political party, or to a political action committee. Political Action Committees (PACs) are groups who promote their members’ interests in politics. A lot of businesses and interest groups- such as the NRA, AARP, Ameircan Bar Assoc., AFL-CIO- have their own PACs to which they donate. The PACs then donate to candidates or political parties that will promote their political interests. Contributors are limited in how much they can give to a party, a candidate, or a PAC, and donor names must be provided if contributors have donated over $200.

The 2010 Citizens United v. FEC US Supreme Court case has increased the influence of superPACs. SuperPACs are political groups that, unlike PACs, cannot have any connection with a political party or a candidate. Giving to superPACs has become popular because donors who give to superPACs are allowed to give unlimited amounts and remain anonymous.

Candidates can also chose to accept public financing for their campaign. Not many candidates accept public financing because the amount they receive is limited & private financing is not.

In addition to paying for the needs of a campaign, funds that are raised by candidates are used to advertise. All advertisements have to identify who paid for the advertisement. Ads from superPACs cannot support a candidate, but can attack a candidate's opponent. Those ads directly from the campaign have to be accompanied by an appearance and message of approval by the candidate.

There are many different advertising strategies are used in elections, such as playing to a crowd w/ popular phrases like "America!", or the troops & jobs; painting candidates as being ordinary person, attaching negative labels to the opponent, using only facts that support the candidate’s argument, appealing to a desire to follow the crowd, making a connection between popular figures and the candidate (and unpopular too); or suggesting something bad may happen if the opponent wins.

It’s up to the public to evaluate advertisements and be able to separate fact from opinion, detect bias, or favoritism, like an advertisement that portrays a candidate as a better option than their opponents, and identify propaganda, or misleading information.

There are three methods of civic participation in elections. The way most people participate is by voting. People can also participate by running for office. Lastly, people can participate through volunteer work, which could include working the polls, helping others vote, contacting voters in person by making calls, going door to door, helping send out mailers, and passing out literature.

There are many factors affect voting rates. Older people are more likely to vote than younger people, voting rates increase as education level increases, people who make more money are more likely to vote than people that make less money, and more people vote in presidential elections (60%) than in state and local elections (less than 50%).

Common reasons given for not voting include a lack of interest, people thinking their vote doesn’t matter or will have no impact, failing to register on time, and being too busy.

While the right to vote is protected for all eligible citizens, it is the voter’s choice to decide what to do with the right. Every vote is important, which was evidenced by the 2000 Presidential Election. The state of Florida ultimately decided the election, and George W. Bush won the state over Al Gore by 537 votes. 2 million registered voters didn’t vote.