no such thing as a presidential election

     The next few weeks will be full of election news. Presidential elections usually mean weeks of non-stop news items of one kind or another.  Most people know that there are other elections, but some would be surprised to discover that there is no such thing as an election just to choose the president. The elections that we have every four years, in which two sets of candidates run for president and vice-president, are also the elections for some congressional representatives, some senators, and at least a few state and local officials--state representatives and senators, some judges, and perhaps governors or mayors. There is no election or form of voting for someone who only wants to vote in the presidential election. Once inside the voting booth, you may "skip" some elections, or abstain from voting, by not pulling the lever for either candidate. But to get into the voting booth, you must be a registered voter in that particular district, since elections are as local as town or city council members. Town or city council members run in particular districts, and represent the people who live in them. The people in another district will be voting for a different set of candidates, even though they only live a few blocks away.
     If you want to know which elections are being held in your voting district, look for a sample ballot. To make sense of the sample ballot, you'll need to know which congressional district you live in, which state congressional district, which state senatorial district, and which city or town council district. You may live in other districts, depending on what goes on in your state or municipality--school boards are elected, as are some judges, county commissioners, county sheriffs, treasurers, city managers, and others.