Additional Resource
Who’s in Charge of Congressional Elections?
This resource provides accessible, reliable information on constitutional history and the roles and responsibilities involved in administering congressional elections in the United States, with the goal of advancing civic understanding among government officials, media, civic organizations, and the American public.
The Constitution outlines a deliberate framework for election administration, placing the responsibility for running elections with state and local officials, while Congress retains limited authority to set national standards and the President is not assigned a role in supervising election administration.
This resource explains, in three parts, how primary responsibility for election administration rests with the states, why any federal authority belongs to Congress rather than the Executive Branch, and how current federal involvement operates through congressional statutes. The resource outlines the role of state and local officials within the system of election administration and identifies how this structure safeguards democratic accountability and the rule of law.