The US Senate at the federal level makes up the “upper chamber” of the US Congress. There are typically one hundred (100) elected senators in office at any given time, two from each of the fifty (50) official states.

Each senator typically serves a term of six (6) years before the next re-election. Senators typically have no term limits.

If you’d like to know further details about the US Senate, their official government site has more information here →.

The US House of Representatives at the federal level makes up the “lower chamber” of the US Congress. There are well over four hundred elected representatives at any given time (currently 435 with full voting rights), with the number of representatives per state being proportionate to population.

Each representative typically serves a term of two (2) years. Representatives typically have no term limits.

If you’d like to know further details about the US House of Representatives, their official government site has more information here →.

Throughout the United States and its territories, each state or territory, county, district, city and town has developed elected governing bodies that are often similar, though not identical, to the two-chambered US Congress at the federal level.

Thus as an American voter, you will often be asked to evaluate a candidate for your state or territory’s legislative body, which frequently entails a Senate and a House of Representatives or House of Delegates. You will also be called upon to vote for council persons as well as mayors, elected judges, attorneys general, district attorneys and, of course, governors and their deputies, etc.

If you’d like to know further details about the State Legislatures, this government site has more information here →.

And here at this level the full (some say “remarkable”) diversity of voting environments in the US becomes apparent. Different states, territories and districts, even cities and towns, put different policy and legislative issues to a general vote.

So during elections in November, you can have one voter deciding on issues of limited effect, while a voter in a neighboring state decides on a statewide law to go into effect in a year (soon!), or on a proposed tax resource allocation with massive effects on the state budget. Both on the same day.

Because of this variety, it is important not to focus only on the federal and state office candidates. If you’ve recently moved from one place to another, please promptly get informed about the significance of your attendance at that voting booth come election day. If you’d like to know further details about the policy and legislative issues you can vote on in your area, start with your state site for voter information.

Whether or not you’ve moved recently, make sure that your state’s election office has your current address and registration status. If you’ve just become eligible to vote, do register via any of several means available to you. Read more at your voter information center.

With prompt registration and the right address you should get a substantive, thick mailing booklet, with a full listing of the positions on the ballot come November. If that has not arrived by mid-October, do promptly go to your state’s information site for online and downloadable copies.

There are few better ways to learn (and become more motivated as well as informed) than in conversation with a range of fellow potential voters. Ideally, you’ll want to speak with those you agree with, those you disagree with (best behavior, everyone), and those you may persuade or become persuaded by.

Peer education is the goal here, and an essential part of what it means to form, be and take care of a civic community. Do see if your state elections office has a schedule of meetings or town halls.

And the most crucial part of all this is the slot of time you find to make sure you vote. Plan at least one month in advance if you cannot physically be in your voting station that day, and so need to vote by absentee ballot. Find out how at your state information site.

For those going on voting day but especially short on time (job, family, prior commitments) do check in the days prior for the correct address of your voting station, and note that arriving at certain moments of that day often makes for a surprisingly short line and wait for your time in the booth.

Verify your registration and voting station address at your state information center.