By-election in the context of "U.S. representative"

The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of the U.S. Constitution in enumerated matters to pass or defeat federal government legislation, known as bills. Those that are also passed by the Senate are sent to the president for signature or veto. The House's exclusive powers include initiating all revenue bills, impeaching federal officers, and electing the president if no candidate receives a majority of votes in the Electoral College.

Members of the House serve a fixed term of two years, with each seat up for election before the start of the next Congress. Special elections may also occur in the case of a vacancy. The House's composition was established by Article One of the United States Constitution. The House is composed of representatives who, pursuant to the Uniform Congressional District Act, sit in single member congressional districts allocated to each state on the basis of population as measured by the United States census, provided that each state gets at least one representative. Since its inception in 1789, all representatives have been directly elected. Although suffrage was initially limited, it gradually widened, particularly after the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment and the civil rights movement.

A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections typically occur at regular intervals as mandated by a country's constitution or electoral laws, and may include elections for a legislature and sometimes other positions such as a directly elected president. In many jurisdictions, general elections can coincide with other electoral events such as local, regional, or supranational elections. For example, on 25 May 2014, Belgian voters simultaneously elected their national parliament, 21 members of the European Parliament, and regional parliaments.

In the United States, "general election" has a slightly different, but related meaning: the ordinary electoral competition following the selection of candidates in the primary election.

The Seventeenth Amendment (Amendment XVII) to the United States Constitution established the direct election of United States senators in each state. The amendment supersedes Article I, Section 3, Clauses 1 and 2 of the Constitution, under which senators were appointed by state legislatures. It also alters the procedure for filling vacancies in the Senate, allowing for state legislatures to permit their governors to make temporary appointments until a special election can be held.

The amendment was proposed by the 62nd Congress in 1912 and became part of the Constitution upon ratification by three-quarters (36) of the state legislatures: on April 8, 1913. Sitting senators were not affected until their existing terms expired. The transition began with two special elections in Georgia and in Maryland, then in earnest with the November 1914 election; it was complete on March 4, 1919, when the senators chosen by the November 1918 election took office.

The 2005 Manihiki by-election was a by-election in the Cook Islands electorate of Manihiki. It was held on 8 February 2005, shortly after the 2004 general election, and was precipitated by an electoral petition finding the result in the seat to be a dead tie. Both parties to the petition, Prime Minister Robert Woonton and Cook Islands Party leader Henry Puna had agreed that in the event of a draw the question should be decided by the voters, and so Woonton resigned. As a result, Jim Marurai became prime minister.

Woonton subsequently decided not to contest the election for personal reasons. The election was won by Henry Puna.

The Assembly of French Polynesia (French: Assemblée de la Polynésie française, [asɑ̃ble d(ə) la pɔlinezi fʁɑ̃sɛːz]; Tahitian: Te apoʻoraʻa rahi o te fenua Māʻohi) is the unicameral legislature of French Polynesia, an overseas country of the French Republic. It is located at Place Tarahoi in Papeete, Tahiti. It was established in its current form in 1996 although a Tahitian Assembly was first created in 1824. It consists of 57 members who are elected by popular vote for five years; the electoral system is based upon proportional representation in six multi-seat constituencies. Every constituency is represented by at least three representatives. Since 2001, the parity bill binds that the number of women matches the number of men elected to the assembly.

The official language of the Assembly is French. The most recent election was held in 2023 and resulted in the victory of Tāvini Huiraʻatira, which won 38 seats. Aside from passing legislation and scrutinising the government, the Assembly is responsible for electing the President of French Polynesia for a four-year term. The number of seats was changed from 49 to 57 on 23 May 2004, for the 2004 election. On 13 February 2005, by-elections for the Assembly were held in the constituency of the Windward Islands (circonscription des Îles du Vent). The next general election is scheduled in 2028.

A writ of election is a writ issued ordering the holding of an election. In Commonwealth countries writs are the usual mechanism by which By-elections are called and are issued by the head of state or their representative. In the United States, writs are more commonly used to call special elections for political offices.

In some countries, especially in Canada, the process of issuing writs of election is referred to as "dropping the writ", likely derived from the phrase "drawing up the writ".