The Elections Clause of the U.S. Constitution directs and empowers states to determine the "Times, Places, and Manner" of congressional elections, subject to Congress's authority to make or alter" state regulations. It grants each level of government the autonomy to create rules concerning public notices, voter registration, voter protection, fraud prevention, vote counting, and determination of election results. This decentralized process results in tremendous variation in the legal frameworks that govern the electoral process- -approximately 8,000 different jurisdictions administer American elections--and reflects our system of government. O republican O congressional O federalist O administrative