Articles of impeachment are documents listing the formal allegations that form the basis for a cause of action to impeach a public official.
Presenting articles of impeachment to the appropriate legislative body is one of the first steps in the impeachment process. Articles of impeachment are similar to an indictment in the criminal justice system.
Impeaching a public official begins when members of a legislative body like the House of Representatives in the federal system or the city council in the municipal system gather evidence and prepare articles of impeachment.
This list of formal accusations against a public official serves to notify the official exactly what they are accused of and to notify the public (that had elected the public official). Impeachment is the name of the process of determining whether these formal allegations are true, and does not necessarily end with the removal of the public official from office.