
United States President Barack Obama casts his ballot during early voting in the 2012 U.S. election at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Chicago, Illinois on 25 October 2012, making him the first U.S. President to vote early.
Every four years in the United States, there is a major election in which citizens over the age of 18 cast their ballots for the president, vice president, and various other offices of the government. Elections for state and local leaders as well as some federal legislators occur every two years, or even yearly. Because our choices for who fills these seats will affect our lives for years to come, it is very important to understand how the voting process works, as well as the theory that ensures a level of fairness in the outcome.
We may live in a democracy, but contrary to popular thought, the president is not directly elected by the people. Instead, in the