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 William Jefferson CLINTON *
• Head of Government: President William Jefferson CLINTON
• Assembly: United States has a bicameral Congress consisting of the Senate with 100 seats and the House of Representatives with 435 seats.

* The president is both the chief of state and head of government. The president is popularly elected through a system involving the electoral college. Each state receives a number of electoral college votes based on the number of Senators it has plus the number of seats it has in the House, which is based on its population. A candidate must receive a majority of electoral votes (270) to be elected president. The president serves a four-year term, with a maximum of two terms.

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 simple majority vote to serve 6-year terms*. In the House of Representatives 435 members are elected by simple majority vote to serve 6-year terms.**

* The states of Georgia and Louisiana require an absolute majority of votes to be elected.

** The states of Georgia and Louisiana require an absolute majority of votes to be elected.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Republican Party*
  • Leader: Trent LOTT, Dennis HASTERT
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 15
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 16
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 221
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 223
• Party: Democratic Party**
  • Leader: Thomas DASCHLE, Richard GEPHARDT
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 19
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 18
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 212
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 221

* The Republican Party lost four seats in this election (from 54 before) and now holds a total of 50 seats in the Senate.
** The Democratic Party gained four seats in this election (in addition to 46 seats before) and now holds a total of 50 seats in the Senate.

Last Legislative election:

• Legislative elections last held: November 3, 1998
  Seats decided in the last election to the Senate: 34
  Seats decided in the last election House of Representatives: 435

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 275,562,673 (July 2000 est. )
• Registered Voters: 141,850,558 ( 1998 - The figure excludes voters in North Dakota and Wisconsin.)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 142,965,028 (2000)

·         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: 13 (Senate); 61 (House) following the 2000 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: 41,334,400 (est.)