An election is a public poll in which voters choose candidates to represent them. It is a key component of representative democracy. The concept of election grew out of the gradual emergence of representative government in Europe and North America beginning in the 17th century, shifting away from a holistic notion of representation (where representatives represented estates, corporations, or vested interests) to one that focused on individual human beings as the critical unit.
A ballot may be simple single-choice or ranked, and voting systems differ widely from proportional to majoritarian (with many being mixed). The results of an election are determined by the tally of votes for each candidate or issue.
Voter eligibility and participation may be limited by age, residence, citizenship, or other criteria. Historically, the size of the electorate was small with only groups or communities such as aristocrats, men of a city, and religious and political leaders eligible to vote; the idea of universal suffrage did not emerge until much later.
The sanctity of the ballot has been threatened by fraud and corruption, including falsification of voter instructions, violation of the secret ballot, ballot stuffing, tampering with voting machines, intimidation or physical violence at polling places, and manipulating the count of legitimately cast votes. Often, these efforts are conducted by regimes seeking to assert power without being accountable to the people.
Elections are held at regular intervals, with most elections for state and federal offices taking place every two to six years, depending on the constitution of the country in question. Politicians and their supporters compete to influence policy in elections through what is known as campaigning, which can be formally organized or more loosely allied. Some political scientists attempt to predict the outcome of elections using forecasting methods.