At stake in this election:

• 34 seats in the Senate
• 435 seats in the House of Representatives

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President William Jefferson CLINTON *
• Head of Government: President William Jefferson CLINTON
• Assembly: United States has a bicameral Congress consisting of the Senate with 100 seats and the House of Representatives with 435 seats.

* The president is both the chief of state and head of government.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by an electoral college to serve a 4-year term.
• In the Senate 100 members are elected by simple majority vote to serve 6-year terms*. In the House of Representatives 435 members are elected by simple majority vote to serve 6-year terms.**

* One-third of Senate seats are up for elections every two years.

** There are also five non-voting members to the House, representing American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Republican Party
  • Leader: Trent LOTT, Dennis HASTERT
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 16
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 20
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 223
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 227
• Party: Democratic Party
  • Leader: Thomas DASCHLE, Richard GEPHARDT
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 18
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 13
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 211
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 207

Last Legislative election:

• Legislative elections last held: November 5, 1996.
  Seats decided in the last election to the Senate: 33
  Seats decided in the last election to the House of Representatives: 435

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 270,862,220 (October 1998 est. )
• Registered Voters: 146,211,960 ( 1996 - Figure excludes the states of North Dakota and Wisconsin, which do not require voter registration.)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 139,919,288 (1998)

·         Is United States a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has United States ratified CEDAW: No

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 9 (Senate); 58 (House) following the 1998 elections

·         Human Development Index Position: 8 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is United States a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 July 2009)

·         Has United States ratified CRPD: No

·         Population with a disability: 40,629,333 (est.)