Key facts
2
Most times a person can be elected president
Amdt. XXII, § 1
Election only
How a vacant US House seat is filled
Art. I, § 2, cl. 4
Senate consent
Needed to appoint ambassadors, federal judges and other top officers
Art. II, § 2, cl. 2
Power comes with an office
Legal power belongs to offices, not to people. The ConstitutionThe highest law of a country or state. It sets up the government, divides its powers and protects rights, and the United States and each state have their own.Read more in the glossary gives lawmaking power to Congress, executive power to the president and judicial power to the courts. State constitutions, state laws and city charters do the same for state and local offices. Whoever holds an office can use only the powers attached to it, and only for the length of the TermThe fixed length of time an official serves in office. A US representative’s term is 2 years, a senator’s is 6 years and the president’s is 4 years.Read more in the glossary.
Winning an election
Voters choose most lawmakers and many executives. Candidates usually win a party’s nomination through a primary, CaucusA meeting of members of a political party. In some states, parties use caucuses to help choose presidential nominees, and each party’s members in the US House meet in a caucus or conference to pick their leaders.Read more in the glossary or convention, or get on the ballot as independents, often by petition. Some offices can be filled only by election. When a US House seat opens, the governor must call an election to fill it. No one can be elected president more than twice.
Being appointed or succeeding
Many officials are appointed. The president nominates ambassadors, federal judges and other top officers, and the Senate must consent. Congress can let the president alone, the courts or department heads appoint lower officers. Others reach office by succession: if a president dies, resigns or is removed, the vice president becomes president. A state legislature can also let its governor appoint a temporary US senator.
Leading inside an institution
Inside a legislature, members choose their own leaders. The House elects its Speaker, and the Senate chooses a president pro tempore. Each party’s members also meet in caucuses or conferences to pick party leaders. Committees consider bills and recommend which ones the full chamber takes up. In the House, the Rules CommitteeA smaller group of legislators that studies bills and issues in one subject area. Committees can hold hearings, change bills and recommend them to the full chamber.Read more in the glossary controls which bills reach the floor and the terms of debate.
Taking part without an office
People without an office can still take part. They can vote, volunteer, give to campaigns, organize and lobby officials. Federal law requires many of these activities to be disclosed. Campaign money is reported to the Federal Election Commission, and paid lobbying to the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate. None of them gives anyone the legal authority to make a government decision.
he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States
Questions people ask
Can someone hold power without being elected?
Does winning the most votes always win an election?
How do party leaders in Congress get their jobs?
Sources
Checked November 4, 2026. Primary sources first, then official records, then nonpartisan research.
How these facts were checked: our promise. Every substantive fix is listed on the corrections page.
Keep going
Power
How can you tell who holds power in government?
To find who decides an issue, ask who proposes it, who approves it, who carries it out and who can review it. Examples show how the answer changes.
Power
How do checks and balances work?
Congress, the president and the courts can each limit the others through vetoes, overrides, funding, Senate consent, impeachment and judicial review.
Elections
How does someone run for public office?
From meeting the legal requirements and getting on the ballot to winning, certification and the oath, here are the steps to running for public office.