ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the categorization of elections. It explains how election outcomes are determined. The chapter begins with a claim about the significance of elections. It analyzes whether election winners can ever legitimately claim a "mandate" from their victories. The operation of presidential elections is unique and so complex that an explanation of the process is in order. The invisible primary is the attempt by presidential hopefuls to garner support from politically influential individuals, including elected officials and party activists, in states that are critical to winning the party's nomination. The invisible primary is instrumental in determining the parties' nominees. When one of the candidates seeking the nomination is the president or vice president, the nomination contests are basically a formality. The general election begins when the candidates have been nominated at their national conventions. The factor that is most often cited as determining the outcome of congressional elections is the "incumbency advantage".
