At stake in this election:

• 33 seats in the Senate
• 435 seats in the House of Representatives

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President George W. BUSH
• Head of Government: President George W. BUSH
• Assembly: United States has a bicameral United States Congress consisting of the Senate with 100 seats and the House of Representatives with 435 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by an electoral college to serve a 4-year term.*
• In the Senate 100 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 6-year terms*. In the House of Representatives 435 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 2-year terms.

* The president is both the chief of state and head of government. The President is elected by absolute majority in the Electoral College to serve a 4-year term. Each state receives a number of Electoral College votes equal to its two Senators plus the number of seats it has in the House of Representatives, which is based on its population. Washington D.C. receives three electoral votes. A candidate must receive a majority of electoral votes (at least 270) to be elected president.

* One-third of Senate seats are up for elections every two years.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: The Democratic Party
  • Leader: Howard DEAN
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 22
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 233
• Alliance: The Republican Party
  • Leader: Mel MARTINEZ
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 9
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 202

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 298,444,215 (July 2006 est.)
• Registered Voters: 186,983,927 (November 2008 -Source: Dr. Michael McDonald. See "of interest" section for link.)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 153,723,121 (2008)

·         Is United States a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has United States ratified CEDAW: No

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 4 (Senate); 75 (House) following the 2008 elections

·         Human Development Index Position: 8 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is United States a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 July 2009)

·         Has United States ratified CRPD: No

·         Population with a disability: 45,573,696 (est.)