Electional astrology is the use of astrology to choose ("elect") a beneficial time to embark on a certain course of action. One of the oldest uses of astrology, it continues to be employed by people all over the world on a daily basis, for projects large and small.

Joan Quigley's work in the 1980s as a behind-the-scenes astrological adviser to U.S. President Ronald Reagan was primarily doing electional astrology. Quigley's book, What Does Joan Say? details many of the important events for which she selected beneficial times: meetings with world leaders, making important announcements or appointments, signing treaties, etc.

The fundamental premise of electional astrology corresponds with the basic premise of astrology itself: namely, that the nature of the development of any process over time is contained within the "seed" of the moment that process comes into physical existence -- i.e., its "birth" moment.

For a person, the birth moment yields the natal horoscope -- a graphic depiction of the positions and relationships of the planets among the signs of the zodiac as those positions appeared at the precise moment and location of birth. This same concept can be applied to the "birth" of any activity: the moment a contract is signed, a business opens its doors, a doctor begins a surgical procedure, a politician formally announces his or her candidacy for a certain office, etc. Each of these moments initiates a process, and the horoscope of that moment/location symbolically reveals the nature of the road that process will follow as it unfolds.

With this idea in mind, someone who is about to begin an important process -- open a business, for example -- may come to an astrologer to have the astrologer choose a "good" moment to begin. The client provides the astrologer with the basic details of the nature of the project, as well as any time-frame dictated by practical matters. A business, for example, would generally need to open its doors during normal business hours, and the business owner may be planning to open the business sometime during a particular month. Candidates for political office normally have deadlines they must meet for announcing their candidacy, filing legal documents, etc. With this general time-frame in mind, the astrologer then examines horoscopes for potential "birth moments" within those time constraints, seeking to select the moment that holds the greatest potential for success and the least potential for adversity or failure.

It should be noted early on that one is never going to find a "perfect moment" to launch any course of endeavor. This is simply the nature of reality, and horoscopes reflect reality. What the electional astrologer does, however, is find moments that offer the best chance of success, while minimizing obstacles as much as possible. In addition, because the nature of any future obstacles are described in the electional horoscope, the astrologer can prepare the client for them, so that the client is better able to overcome the obstacles when they do arise.

Electional astrologers use a certain set of rules, principles, and techniques when evaluating possible horoscopes for the beginning of a venture. Most of these rules are derived from the rules of horary astrology, which is the use of astrology to answer a question asked at a specific moment and location. The rules are fairly simple in concept, yet they can become quite complex in their application. The astrologer needs to account for any time limitations or deadlines of the client ("has to be started between March 1st and April 30th"), as well as the nature of the project itself (business/investment, medical procedure, marriage, etc.), and the client's desired outcome ("success" can be defined in many ways for many different situations).