The United States returns to the polls this Tuesday for mid-term elections. They will serve as a thermometer to measure the support of the Joe Biden government when almost two years of his term have elapsed. The result will also depend on the capacity of the White House to promote its political agenda. Here is a brief guide to not getting lost in the elections.
What are mid-term elections?
These are the elections in which Congress (which consists of two Chambers) is partially renewed. They are so called because they are held midway through the president’s four-year term. They will be this Tuesday, November 8.
What’s at stake?
The 435 seats in the House of Representatives (the equivalent of the Congress of Deputies), 36 of the 100 seats in the Senate are renewed, and there are also elections to elect governor in 39 different states.
The congress
The 435 seats in the House of Representatives are renewed.
Because it is important. Because they will measure the legislative capacity of the Biden Cabinet. Right now, the Democrats have a majority. If the Republicans turn the tables, they will be able to hinder the Government’s legislative agenda in two ways:
– In internal politics: The Republicans will fight the climate agenda and will try to avoid a tax reform to tax the profits of oil and gas companies, a tax increase for large multinationals, a drop in drug prices, an increase in gun control…
– In foreign policy: Funds earmarked for the war in Ukraine could be depleted. Republicans (and some Democrats) question sending hundreds of billions of dollars to kyiv (52 trillion dollars worth of packages have been approved), while inflation erodes the domestic economy and the country risks recession.
The Senate
35 of the 100 existing seats are renewed (each of the 50 states has two senators, regardless of population or size). Each senator is elected for six years.
Because it is important. Because the Senate has the power to appoint investigative commissions, such as the one examining Trump’s role in the assault on Capitol Hill. The Republican Party wants to investigate the relations of Biden’s son with China; the hasty departure from Afghanistan; and the possibility that Covid was created in a Chinese laboratory. The Senate also makes appointments to the Supreme Court. Right now each party has 50 seats and the Democrats win by the quality vote of the vice president, Kamala Harris.
Governor Elections
36 of the 50 states elect a governor. 20 are Republicans and 16 Democrats.
Because they are important. Because States have broad legislative capacities. Except for federal laws, which are mandatory throughout the country, there are endless matters that the States decide. One of the most mediatic examples is the abortion law; since August, each State legislates it in its own way. Another example is legislation relating to marijuana.
The ‘ballot’ or legal initiatives in each state
What are they? The ‘midterm’ elections are accompanied by a series of legal initiatives -ballot- in different states that seek to introduce legal reforms in their territories.
Because it is important. In the voting that will be held this month, the main issues that will be voted on are abortion and the legalization of marijuana. Five states will vote on measures related to the voluntary interruption of pregnancy and many others, linked to the free use of cannabis. In five southern states, the abolition of terms referring to slavery and forced labor that have persisted since the 19th century is also voted from their criminal codes.
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Under the shadow of Trump. The United States has this Tuesday a key electoral date for its democratic future. The midterm elections are coming and the former president has many options to place his pawns in key states to regain the White House in 2024
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