https://sputnikglobe.com/20221101/what-are-the-midterm-elections-and-why-are-they-so-important-this-time-around-1102927509.html
What Are The Midterm Elections and Why Are They So Important This Time Around?
What Are The Midterm Elections and Why Are They So Important This Time Around?
Sputnik International
Midterm elections are a series of federal, state and local elections characterized by pundits as an "exam” on the president’s performance halfway through his term. What do they mean for the country and when are they taking place?
2022-11-01T17:53+0000
2022-11-01T17:53+0000
2024-03-11T10:57+0000
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What are the Midterms?In the US, 'midterm elections' - literally a vote held in the middle of the executive’s term of office, are baked into the Constitution, which requires the Senate’s 100 members to be chosen by their state’s electors every six years, and states that members of the House of Representative shall serve a political term of two years.The upcoming vote will see the election of all 435 members of the House, 34 senators, and a bevy of lower offices, including governors in 34 of 50 states, representatives to state legislatures, mayors, judges and thousands of other lower offices.America’s system of biennial elections, combined with an absence of legally-enforced limits on the campaign period, and the existence of party primaries, makes the US a record holder for election campaign length. Campaigning for high office, particularly for the presidency and seats in Congress, can drag on for many months or even longer.For comparison, America’s Canadian neighbors to the north limit their election period to 50 days, but it can be even shorter – just 36 days. In Britain, the campaign period lasts 25 to 60 days, while in Australia, it runs between 33 and 68 days.When are the Midterm Elections?The midterm elections will be held on a single day – Tuesday, November 8, in accordance with a weekday voting law passed in 1845 requiring elections to take place on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.How to Vote in the Midterm ElectionsVoting isn’t as simple as showing up to your local polling place. For one thing, registration isn’t automatic, meaning would-be voters had best be certain that their names are on the voting roles, or face the prospect of being turned away. Election experts estimate that nearly a quarter of eligible voters in the US are not registered to vote, and that up to one in eight voter registration cards are riddled with errors which can leave them ineligible. Worse yet, outdate registration information can result in a host of shenanigans, from voter fraud to use by unscrupulous election officials to try to discourage voters from one party from heading to the polls in the first place.Many Americans will have already voted in primary races held earlier this year to select the Democratic and Republican candidates for November. As for voter registration, the deadline runs between mid-October and Election Day, depending on state. About two dozen states allow voters to request a mail-in ballot, although some – particularly jurisdictions led by Republicans which sniffed out alleged fraud in the 2020 election, require justification to vote absentee. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot also varies, with some sent out automatically. Handing in mail-in ballots also varies by state, with most needing to be received by November 8, or postmarked November 8.For those voting in person, there’s a helpful online guide helping residents look up their precincts using their address information.What are the Big Names in the 2022 Midterms?The 2022 midterms have the potential to reshape both US federal and state politics. In addition to the 435 House of Representatives seats up for grabs (where pollsters project 228 solid Republican wins, 174 Democrat victories and 33 toss ups), 34 Senate seats are also on state ballots, with six expected to go GOP, five Dem, and seven toss ups.Among the Senate races deemed too close to call is the heavily watched Pennsylvania contest between miracle herbal pill-pushing TV doctor Mehmet Oz (Republican) and trust-fund kid-turned politician John Fetterman (Democrat), who suffered a debilitating stroke earlier this year which left him with severe difficulties communicating coherently. RCP’s average of polling gives Fetterman a 1.5 percent lead over his opponent.Another race worth watching is the Wisconsin showdown between Republican Ron Johnson and Democrat Mandela Barnes. Johnson, in office since 2011, has led the Senate inquiry into Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, amid allegations of illegal activities by the latter including drug use, prostitution and alleged business deals with foreign interests involving the ‘pay-to-play’ sale of political influence. The Democratic Party has poured tens of millions of dollars into the Barnes campaign in a bid to unseat Johnson and his pesky investigation.The race for a Senate seat in Georgia between incumbent Raphael Warnock (Democrat) and challenger Herschel Walker (Republican) has also garnered eyeballs nationally after it degenerated from a debate on policy into a grime-filled series of personal allegations, with Warnock accused of running over his ex-wife’s foot with a car and Walker charged with pressuring a woman into getting an abortion.At the state level, Republicans are expected to make a clean sweep, with pollsters predicting that 31 of 50 states will be have Republican governors by the time the dust settles after November 8.Why Do the 2022 Midterms Matter?It’s not uncommon for midterm elections to sweep the president’s party from power. In the 1994 midterms, Democrats took a beating after the GDP took control of Congress for the first time since the early 1950s. The situation was partially repeated in 2010, when the GOP broke up the Democrats’ control of Congress and won the House, taking the wind out of President Barack Obama’s sails. In the 2018 midterms, Democrats won a majority in the House, robbing Republicans of their simultaneous control of Congress and the White House.In past years and decades, having an (R) or (D) next to a candidate’s name could carry significance on issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage, or tax cuts, but generally did not impact major policy matters, such as foreign policy or the economy. This time around, the stakes are higher, thanks in large part to the large crop of pro-Trump Republicans (aka ‘MAGA Republicans’) vying for control of the party and for representation in the House and Senate.Earlier this year, as every single Democrat (including the party’s supposedly anti-war ‘Progressive Caucus’) voted in favor of Ukraine aid, 11 GOP senators, and 57 House Republicans opposed the assistance, citing fears of escalating tensions with Russia and a range of domestic priorities, such as baby formula shortages or the crisis at the US border with Mexico.On Taiwan, notwithstanding their traditional hardline position on China (like Trump himself) MAGA Republicans have attacked Democrats over their perceived needless escalation of tensions, particularly following the controversial trip to the island by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August.MAGA Republicans get their foreign policy cues largely from Trump himself, and the former president has repeatedly attacked Biden, the Democrats and the neocon wing of the Republican Party for bringing America and the world to the brink of “World War III.”Anti-war and anti-interventionism voices are not unheard of in Washington DC, with lawmakers such as former Congressman Dennis Kucinich (a Democrat), former Congressman Ron Paul (a Republican), and Senator Rand Paul (another Republican) taking a principled stand on these issues in the past. What makes the 2022 midterms different is their potential to increase the number of ‘anti-war’ and ‘America First’ politicians from the single digits to dozens, forming an important voting bloc able to make noise about or even block some of the most aggressive impulses of the executive branch.How Will the Outcome Affect the 2024 Presidential Election?The midterms could pose a hard-and-fast gauge of Americans’ overall support for President Biden’s policies. If Republicans manage to take both houses of Congress, the president’s remaining two years in office could become a nightmarish scenario of gridlocked government, stopping his agenda dead in its tracks, and escalating the domestic crises facing America, such as inflation, a weakening economy, and the continued rise in US debt levels. If the GOP does win and succeeds in turning Biden into a ‘lame duck’, the 2024 presidential election could become a shoe-in for Donald Trump, another Republican, or even a Democrat seeking to challenge the incumbent.
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midterm 2022, midterm, midterm elections in the united states, midterm elections 2022, 2022 united states elections, midterm elections, when are midterms, what are midterms, 2022 midterms, why is the midterm election important,
midterm 2022, midterm, midterm elections in the united states, midterm elections 2022, 2022 united states elections, midterm elections, when are midterms, what are midterms, 2022 midterms, why is the midterm election important,
What Are The Midterm Elections and Why Are They So Important This Time Around?
17:53 GMT 01.11.2022 (Updated: 10:57 GMT 11.03.2024) Americans are gearing up for the midterm elections, a series of federal, state and local contests often characterized by political pundits as an “exam” on the president’s performance halfway through his term. Midterms are always significant, but this year the vote could have earth-shattering implications. Sputnik explains why.
In the US,
'midterm elections' - literally a vote held in the middle of the executive’s term of office, are baked into the Constitution, which
requires the Senate’s 100 members to be chosen by their state’s electors every six years, and states that members of the House of Representative shall serve a political term of two years.
The upcoming vote will see the election of all 435 members of the House, 34 senators, and a bevy of lower offices, including governors in 34 of 50 states, representatives to state legislatures, mayors, judges and thousands of other lower offices.
America’s system of biennial elections, combined with an absence of legally-enforced limits on the campaign period, and the existence of party primaries, makes the US a record holder for election campaign length. Campaigning for high office, particularly for the presidency and seats in Congress, can drag on for many months
or even longer.
For comparison, America’s Canadian neighbors to the north limit their election period to 50 days, but it can be even shorter –
just 36 days. In Britain, the campaign period lasts 25 to 60 days, while in Australia, it runs between
33 and 68 days.
When are the Midterm Elections?
The midterm elections will be held on a single day – Tuesday, November 8, in accordance with a weekday
voting law passed in 1845 requiring elections to take place on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
How to Vote in the Midterm Elections
Voting isn’t as simple as showing up to your local polling place. For one thing, registration isn’t automatic, meaning would-be voters had best be certain that their names are on the voting roles, or face the prospect of being turned away. Election experts estimate that
nearly a quarter of eligible voters in the US are not registered to vote, and that
up to one in eight voter registration cards are riddled with errors which can leave them ineligible. Worse yet, outdate registration information can result in a host of shenanigans,
from voter fraud to
use by unscrupulous election officials to try to discourage voters from one party from heading to the polls in the first place.
Many Americans will have already voted in primary races held earlier this year to select the Democratic and Republican candidates for November. As for voter registration, the deadline runs between mid-October and Election Day,
depending on state. About two dozen states allow voters to request a mail-in ballot, although some – particularly jurisdictions led by Republicans which sniffed out alleged fraud in the 2020 election, require justification to vote absentee. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot also varies, with some sent out automatically. Handing in mail-in ballots also varies by state, with most needing to be received by November 8, or postmarked November 8.
For those voting in person, there’s a
helpful online guide helping residents look up their precincts using their address information.
What are the Big Names in the 2022 Midterms?
The 2022 midterms have the potential to reshape both US federal and state politics. In addition to the 435 House of Representatives seats up for grabs (where pollsters
project 228 solid Republican wins, 174 Democrat victories and 33 toss ups), 34 Senate seats are also on state ballots, with six
expected to go GOP, five Dem, and seven toss ups.
Among the Senate races deemed too close to call is the heavily watched Pennsylvania contest between miracle herbal pill-pushing TV doctor Mehmet Oz (Republican) and trust-fund kid-turned politician John Fetterman (Democrat), who suffered a debilitating stroke earlier this year which left him with severe difficulties communicating coherently. RCP’s average of polling gives Fetterman a 1.5 percent lead over his opponent.
26 October 2022, 23:09 GMT
Another race worth watching is the Wisconsin showdown between Republican Ron Johnson and Democrat Mandela Barnes. Johnson, in office since 2011,
has led the Senate inquiry into Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, amid allegations of illegal activities by the latter including drug use, prostitution and alleged business deals with foreign interests involving the ‘pay-to-play’ sale of political influence. The Democratic Party has poured tens of millions of dollars into the Barnes campaign in a bid to unseat Johnson and his pesky investigation.
The race for a Senate seat in Georgia between incumbent Raphael Warnock (Democrat) and challenger Herschel Walker (Republican) has also garnered eyeballs nationally after it
degenerated from a debate on policy into a grime-filled series of personal allegations, with Warnock accused of running over his ex-wife’s foot with a car and Walker charged with pressuring a woman into getting an abortion.
At the state level, Republicans are
expected to make a clean sweep, with pollsters predicting that 31 of 50 states will be have Republican governors by the time the dust settles after November 8.
8 October 2022, 19:06 GMT
Why Do the 2022 Midterms Matter?
It’s not uncommon for midterm elections to sweep the president’s party from power. In the 1994 midterms, Democrats took a beating after the GDP took control of Congress for the first time since the early 1950s. The situation was partially repeated in 2010, when the GOP broke up the Democrats’ control of Congress and won the House, taking the wind out of President Barack Obama’s sails. In the 2018 midterms, Democrats won a majority in the House, robbing Republicans of their simultaneous control of Congress and the White House.
In past years and decades, having an (R) or (D) next to a candidate’s name could carry significance on issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage, or tax cuts, but generally did not impact major policy matters, such as foreign policy or the economy. This time around, the stakes are higher, thanks in large part to the large crop of pro-Trump Republicans (aka ‘MAGA Republicans’) vying for control of the party and for representation in the House and Senate.
MAGA Republicans not only threaten to make a pig’s breakfast of the Democrats’ domestic spending and policy agendas (for example, by closing down the investigations into Donald Trump and the January 6 Capitol riots), but to initiate probes of their own into Hunter Biden, or even impeachment proceedings against the president.
2 October 2022, 18:50 GMT
On top of that, unlike conventional, long-time GOP lawmakers, such as Senators Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham, who generally walk in lockstep with Democrats in their neoliberal agendas on foreign policy issues like Ukraine or Taiwan, MAGA Republicans have asked their own party and the White House some uncomfortable questions about US involvement in these conflicts.
Earlier this year, as every single Democrat (including the party’s supposedly anti-war ‘Progressive Caucus’) voted in favor of Ukraine aid, 11 GOP senators, and 57 House Republicans opposed the assistance, citing fears of escalating tensions with Russia and a range of domestic priorities, such as baby formula shortages or the crisis at the US border with Mexico.
On Taiwan, notwithstanding their traditional hardline position on China (like Trump himself) MAGA Republicans have attacked Democrats over their perceived needless escalation of tensions, particularly following the controversial trip to the island by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August.
MAGA Republicans get their foreign policy cues largely from Trump himself, and the former president
has repeatedly attacked Biden, the Democrats and the neocon wing of the Republican Party for bringing America and the world to the brink of
“World War III.”Anti-war and anti-interventionism voices are not unheard of in Washington DC, with lawmakers such as former Congressman Dennis Kucinich (a Democrat), former Congressman Ron Paul (a Republican), and Senator Rand Paul (another Republican) taking a principled stand on these issues in the past. What makes the 2022 midterms different is their potential to increase the number of ‘anti-war’ and ‘America First’ politicians from the single digits to dozens, forming an important voting bloc able to make noise about or even block some of the most aggressive impulses of the executive branch.
How Will the Outcome Affect the 2024 Presidential Election?
The midterms could pose a hard-and-fast gauge of Americans’ overall support for President Biden’s policies. If Republicans manage to take both houses of Congress, the president’s remaining two years in office could become a nightmarish scenario of gridlocked government, stopping his agenda dead in its tracks, and escalating the domestic crises facing America, such as inflation, a weakening economy, and the continued rise in US debt levels. If the GOP does win and succeeds in turning Biden into a ‘lame duck’, the 2024 presidential election could become a shoe-in for Donald Trump, another Republican, or even a Democrat seeking to challenge the incumbent.
1 November 2022, 09:28 GMT
