Politics of the United States
A federal republic with three branches and two dominant parties.
The politics of the United States operate within a framework of a constitutional federal republic with a presidential system. The federal government is divided into three distinct branches—legislative, executive, and judicial—that share powers, while state and local governments exercise authority over matters not reserved to the federal government. American politics has been dominated by two major parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, since the American Civil War.
- system
- Constitutional federal republic with a presidential system
- branches
- Legislative (bicameral Congress), executive (president), judicial (Supreme Court and lower federal courts)
- dominant_parties
- Democratic Party and Republican Party
- suffrage
- Nearly universal for citizens 18 and older, except registered felons in some states
- electoral_system
- Single-member districts with plurality voting; president elected indirectly via Electoral College
- state_governments
- 50 states, each with three branches headed by a governor
Lore & Background
The United States is a constitutional federal republic where the president serves as both head of state and head of government. The legislative branch, Congress, is bicameral, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The judicial branch, composed of the Supreme Court and lower federal courts, interprets the Constitution and federal laws. The federal government shares sovereignty with 50 state governments, each of which has its own constitution, three branches, and a popularly elected governor. Local governments include counties, municipalities, townships, school districts, and special districts, with officials popularly elected at all levels except the president, who is chosen through the Electoral College.
Reader's Guide
The political system of the United States is notable for its separation of powers, a powerful upper legislative house (the Senate), and a Supreme Court with broad authority. Since the American Civil War, the Democratic and Republican parties have dominated, with third parties having minimal influence due to the first-past-the-post voting system. This system encourages strategic voting and discourages vote splitting, leading to both major parties containing multiple internal factions. State governments possess inherent powers not granted to the federal government, allowing them to legislate on education, family law, contract law, and most crimes. The Progressive Era introduced initiatives, referendums, and recall elections at the state and local level, though these are absent at the federal level.
Did You Know?
- The United States is one of the world's only developed countries where all additional parties have minimal or nonexistent influence at the national and state level.
- Except for Nebraska, all states have a bicameral legislature, with the upper house usually called the Senate and the lower house called the House of Representatives or Assembly.
- Some cities, such as Philadelphia, Honolulu, San Francisco, Nashville, and Denver, are consolidated city-counties where the municipality and county have been merged.
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