All states have laws that mandate the order in which candidates appear on the ballot. If the order in which candidates appear on the ballot influences election outcomes, then these laws will advantage some candidates over others, whether this advantage is due to incumbency, party, or alphabetical order. Concern over the advantage presumably conveyed by “ballot-order effects” has led some states to require names to be randomly listed on the ballot.

Americans who are deployed members of the military or who otherwise live abroad face special circumstances when it comes to voting. Efforts to ensure the inclusion of the military in elections date back to the Civil War and the election of 1864. Laws passed in recent decades have allowed voting from abroad to become a unique but important aspect of U.S. elections.

When elections are held can determine how many people vote and who votes.

Straight-ticket voting allows voters to choose a party’s entire docket of candidates with just one click of a button or flick of a pen.