Election is the formal process by which a group of citizens make decisions about who or what will represent them in their government. Almost all countries now have some form of election, and although the majority are not competitive elections, they still provide a crucial check on government power and reinforce democratic legitimacy.

Voting rules vary, but most allow citizens to select from at least two alternatives. The individual votes are translated into collective decisions by a variety of methods, including plurality voting, which requires that the winner receives more than half of the total vote; absolute or supreme majorities; proportional voting; and unanimity.

In addition to presidential elections, voters choose their local community leaders through municipal or city council races. Elected officials at the local level impact decisions about everything from trash collection to school books. But complicated voting rules and a lack of accessible election information keep millions of people from casting ballots, especially historically marginalized populations like African American and Latinx Americans.

State and national elections also choose leaders, including governors, state legislators, and the attorney general. These officials write the laws that govern us, from the speed limit on a highway to the legality of marijuana. They also levy taxes and spend public money. In competitive elections, they have to justify their actions to voters, which helps keep them in check. This process, along with a changing notion of representation from the holistic idea that people represented estates or vested interests, helped modern democracy evolve in Europe and North America beginning in the 17th century.