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The USA was founded in 1776 by a group made up mainly of landed gentry from Britain. It is a representative democracy where both male and female citizens have the right to vote.

The federal government is made up of three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislative branch is run by the United States Congress, which, among other powers, is in charge of making and enforcing laws. The President is in charge of the executive branch. The judicial branch is responsible for interpreting the law.

The leader of the country is the President. States are run by governors, and mayors are in charge of towns.

There are two dominant political parties in the US: the Republicans and the Democrats. On local and state levels, the smaller parties (e.g., Green Party, Libertarian Party) do win “seats,” but in the highest level federal positions there have been few victories for minor parties. The Republican Party, generally speaking, promotes less government “interference” in daily life. This party is often a staunch supporter of business, the driving force of the economy. The Republican party is also frequently associated with social conservative movements. The other main party, the Democratic party, has a strong flavor of advocacy and rule-making, social reform, and social progress.

Presidential elections run every four years, with a current two-term limit on the position of President. Presidential elections occur in two phases. In a primary election, each political party nominates an official candidate to represent their party in a general election. In a general election, citizens vote among these candidates for someone to serve as President. Election Day always takes place on the first Tuesday in November. The President is officially sworn into office (i.e., “inaugurated”) on the January 20 after the election; the most recent inauguration took place on January 20, 2009, following President Barack Obama's election on November 4, 2008.

A person wishing to run for the office or President of the United States must be a natural-born citizen, be at least 35 years old, and have been a resident of the US for at least 14 years.

Other federal and state political offices are up for election every two years or six years. Requirements for running for these other political offices vary according to position.

The voting age for American citizens is 18. You cannot vote without citizenship. When registering to vote, citizens must declare a specific party affiliation. This does not mean, however, that you must always vote for that party in an election. (An exception to this is during a primary election, when you must vote for a “candidate” for your party.)

There is no mandatory military service in the USA, with the exception of “draft registration,” which means that in the event of a major war, adult men age 18 or older may be called to fight. There are women in the US military, but the involvement of women in combat is a matter of social debate, and women are not required to register for the draft.

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Expat Focus would like to acknowledge the kind help given by Kirstie Wilson of British Business Connection in compiling this guide.

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