elections: Senate - last held 4 November 2008 (next to be held November 2010); House of Representatives - last held 4 November 2008 (next to be held in November 2010)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 57, Republican Party 41, independent 2; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 257, Republican Party 178
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (nine justices; nominated by the president and confirmed with the advice and consent of the Senate; appointed to serve for life); United States Courts of Appeal; United States District Courts; State and County Courts
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party [Timothy KAINE]; Green Party; Libertarian Party
[William (Bill) REDPATH]; Republican Party [Michael STEELE]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
environmentalists; business groups; labor unions; churches; ethnic groups; political action committees or PAC; health groups; education groups; civic groups; youth groups; transportation groups; agricultural groups; veterans groups; women's groups; reform lobbies
International organization participation:
ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), ANZUS, APEC,
Arctic Council, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS,
BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CE (observer), CERN (observer),
CP, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, G-20, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA,
MINUSTAH, NAFTA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club,
PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SECI (observer), SPC, UN, UN
Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNOMIG,
UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC