"Election" or "elections"

[Rachel Adams]

Is my sentence correct? Should it be "election" or "elections"?

"Advertisements before the election are very annoying. They are full of promises."

 

[SoothingDave]

You're probably thinking of more than one election for more than one office, right?

 

[Tarheel]

Are you talking about political ads? Perhaps:

The political ads are annoying. They are full of promises that won't be kept.

 

[GoesStation]

You're probably thinking of more than one election for more than one office, right?

That's a thing in the United States. The rest of the world rarely decides more than a single office or issue in any given election.

 

[SoothingDave]

No? They're missing out on the fun of electing a US Congressman, US Senator, state Representative, state Senator, state Attorney General, and state Auditor General all at once.

Next year we get to vote for county offices, like Prothonotary.

 

[GoesStation]

No? They're missing out on the fun of electing a US Congressman, US Senator, state Representative, state Senator, state Attorney General, and state Auditor General all at once.

Next year we get to vote for county offices, like Prothonotary.

California ballots often have several dozen offices and issues on them. I remember unfolding absentee ballots when I was a student in Toronto that were the size of a large roadmap.

Here in Ohio, we vote for president, senator, representative, governor, state attorney general, secretary of state, state board of education member, state Supreme Court justice, state representative, state senator, county commissioner, county coroner, county engineer, county clerk of court, county prosecutor, county recorder, local board of education members, township recorder, township board of trustees members, various city or village officers, and more that I can't think of. And that's not to mention state, county, school district, special tax district, township, and city or village tax levies and other issues.

These don't all appear on any single ballot, but they nearly always have a generous selection of them.

 

[Skrej]

Elections are pretty expensive to hold. We might as well save taxpayer time and money, and vote on as many things at once while we're doing it.

People are more likely to vote during major elections (such as state and federal), so by grouping some local ordinances on there at the same time, ideally you'll get a higher turnout on something like a local bond issue than if they just held it by itself. Of course, many people just vote on the major ticket items and skip the rest.

Special elections are especially expensive, and unlike regular elections, often aren't budgeted for, so that creates extra strain on coffers.

Out of boredom, I checked my county's election website for a list, because I really had no idea how many things I voted on last week. Like Goes mentioned, there are quite a few other things that may or may not be on a ballot any given time. Locally, we vote on our city offices (such as mayor and commissioners) every other odd-numbered year, so those never coincide with the regular "big" national elections. I can't imagine the overload from that many political ads at once anyway. Anyway, it looks like I had 27 issues or positions to decide on this year...

National Level
U.S. President/Vice President
United States Senator
United States House of Representative District 1

State Offices
State Senate 38th District
State House of Representative 124th District
State House of Representative 125th District
District Court Judge xth District 2nd Division

County Offices
County Commission District 1
County Commission District 5
Sheriff
County Attorney
County Clerk
Register of Deeds
County Treasurer
Township Trustees (3 townships)
Township Treasurers (3 townships)

Other Issues:
State Supreme court justice retainment question
5 other state appeals court judge retainment questions
city one-cent sale tax renewal

 

[GoesStation]

We … vote on as many things at once while we're doing it.

This is, as far as I know, a strictly American phenomenon. Most countries have only a handful of elected offices, often just a couple. People may vote for only a mayor if they live in a municipality, a member of their regional Parliament if that exists, and a member of their national Parliament. Elections typically involve only a single office. That's why people in the rest of the world have so much trouble understanding why counting votes can be so slow in American elections and why we use expensive voting systems instead of simple paper ballots.

 

[Rachel Adams]

You're probably thinking of more than one election for more than one office, right?

No, I am talking about electing the president. There are a few candidates on the ballot and you have to vote for one of them. Is this case should it be "The promises before the election, the elections, or just election/elections without "the".

 

[Rachel Adams]

Are you talking about political ads? Perhaps:

The political ads are annoying. They are full of promises that won't be kept.

So native speakers don't use the full form "advertisements." Right?

 

[Rachel Adams]

Try to get out of the habit of asking questions in this way. This is more natural. Don't native speakers use the full form "advertisements"?

OK. Thank you. But I am really confused regarding the use of "the election/elections" or "election/elections" without the article. In post #9.

 

[Tarheel]

Not often.

 

[Rachel Adams]

Not often.

Sorry, what do you mean?
Ah, you are talking about omiting the article.

"The political ads before the election, the elections, or just election/elections without "the" are all possible if I understand correctly.

 

[Tarheel]

So native speakers don't use the full form "advertisements." Right?

Not often. (The British say adverts.)

 

[Tarheel]

Sorry, what do you mean?

See post #16. (I was getting ready to delete that one. (#14).)

 

[Tarheel]

Sorry, what do you mean?
Ah, you are talking about omiting the article.

"The political ads before the election, the elections, or just election/elections without "the" are all possible if I understand correctly.

Well, yes. Either the, an, or no article depending on context and whether singular or plural is used.

(Actually, I was responding to the question about political ads, but okay. )

 

[Rachel Adams]

Well, yes. Either the, an, or no article depending on context and whether singular or plural is used.

(Actually, I was responding to the question about political ads, but okay. )

Thank you so much. So without additional information, I can use all of the possibilities I listed.
"The political ads before the election/the elections/elections/ election are annoying."

 

[Tarheel]

Yes, they can be.
;-)

 

[Tdol]

Prothonotary.

Sounds like a Jurassic Park villain- the Prothonotary is far more dangerous than the Velociraptor.