Who elects whom in the United States?

#Four paths into office

1. Direct election: voters choose the officeholder.
2. Electors: voters choose electors, who then choose the president and vice president.
3. Appointment with approval: one official nominates and another body confirms.
4. Selection by an elected body: a legislature, council or board picks the officeholder.

The same title can follow different paths in different places. The path depends on the office and on the state.

#Chosen directly by voters

Voters in each congressional district elect a member of the House every 2 years, and states with only one House seat elect that member statewide. Each state’s voters also elect 2 senators. In every state, voters elect a governor and state legislators, and in 43 states they also elect the attorney general. Many local offices are elected as well, including Pennsylvania’s county commissioners, sheriffs, district attorneys, school directors and judges.

#Chosen through electors

For president, voters in each state and in Washington, DC, choose electors. Each state gets as many electors as it has senators and House members, and DC gets 3, for a total of 538. A candidate needs a majority of the electors appointed, which is 270 when all 538 are appointed. Most states give all their electors to the statewide winner, while Maine and Nebraska divide theirs differently. Because of this system, the candidate with the most votes nationwide does not automatically win.

#Appointed and approved

The president nominates Supreme Court justices and other Article III judges, and the Senate must confirm them. They serve "during good Behaviour," which typically means for life. Full-time federal magistrate judges are appointed by district judges for 8-year terms. States use appointments too: in New Jersey, the governor appoints county prosecutors with the state Senate’s consent. In 5 states, the governor appoints the attorney general.

#Chosen by another elected body

Some officials are picked by people who were themselves elected. In Maine, the Legislature elects the secretary of state, the attorney general, the treasurer and the state auditor. In many council-manager cities, the council hires the manager and often chooses the mayor from among its members. In Pennsylvania, elected school boards choose their districts’ superintendents.

#Same title, different path

A title does not tell you how someone got the job. Pennsylvania voters elect magisterial district judges, while Virginia’s magistrates are appointed. Most Pennsylvania school directors are elected, but Philadelphia’s school board is appointed by the mayor and confirmed by City Council. New Jersey voters elect county sheriffs but not county prosecutors. To know how an office is filled, check the state constitution, state law or local charter that creates it.