The federal constitution mandates much of the key aspects including direct elections for legislature, the Electoral College, and the voting age (18 years.) Likewise, courts have interpreted a constitutional “equal protection” clause as affecting some aspects of electoral management.

Federal laws mandate the number of members in the U.S. House and the formula by which they are apportioned to each state. They also mandate single-member districts, compel jurisdictions to protect the voting strength of racial and ethnic minorities, and to print ballots in multiple languages where necessary. Finally, since 2002, federal law provides states with financial incentives to meet certain equipment and administration standards.

Other provisions flow from federal court decisions. These include equal apportionment, matters related to voter registration and ID, whether state legislatures must respect decisions by voters about Electoral College members, and specific ways in which boundary delimitation must affect the voting strength of racial and ethnic minorities.

There is a great deal of further variation at the state and local levels. Usually this affects registration, early and absentee voting, and ballot access provisions. Some municipalities, however, allow non-citizen residents to vote in local elections. Finally some states forbid convicted felons from voting.

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