United States of America will hold its parliamentary elections on Tuesday. This is one of the elections that will determine the composition of Congress and the final two years of President Joe Biden’s mandate.
Next, we know the ten keys to understanding the mid-term election panorama in the United States:
1. What is chosen?
The renewal of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives, where MPs serve two-year terms, and 34 of the 100 seats in the Senate, where the office is six-year terms.
Also at stake are the governorships of 36 states and a host of state and local agencies, such as secretaries of state, critical to their role in election oversight.
2. How often do you dial in the United States?
Every two years. This means that on some occasions legislatures will fall in a presidential election year, like in 2020, and on others, like this one, they will take place in the middle of the term, so they will also be seen as a referendum on the president’s work up to then .
3. Who has the legislative power?
The Senate has two seats from each of the country’s 50 states and is currently split down the middle between Democrats and Republicans. The decisive vote rests in the hands of US Vice President Kamala Harris.
In the House of Commons, the number of deputies per state depends on the number of inhabitants. Democrats are tied with 220 of their 435 seats, compared to 212 for Republicans.
4. What impact can the result have?
The Legislature determines which political party will control the Senate and House of Representatives for the next two years; in this case from next January 3rd.
Current political polarization makes it difficult for any formation to pass new legislation unless it holds the country’s presidency and leadership of each chamber. So if Republicans regain legislative power, they could thwart attempts by the Biden administration to push through new proposals. .
The Conservatives have warned they want to use their potential majority to launch an avalanche of investigations. The reason for the raid of former President Donald Trump’s (2017-2021) Florida mansion in August and even the initiation of a political trial against Biden are in his sights.
5. What do the polls show?
Traditionally, the party is disadvantaged in the White House in midterm elections. After an optimistic start to the campaign on the part of the Democrats, the balance has increasingly shifted in favor of the Republicans.
The weighted average of polls compiled by the FiveThirtyEight website gives Democrats a 45% chance of maintaining their lead in the Senate and only a 16% chance of doing so in the House.
6. What are the key states in the midterm elections?
In most states, the vote has one clear candidate, so attention is focused on the few where the duel is closer. Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia, Ohio and Arizona currently hold the weight of devolving Senate power to one side or the other.
7. Which topics were important in the campaign?
Democrats have played the trump card of their recent legislative wins, such as the Anti-Inflation Act or the Microchip Manufacturing Encouragement Act, arguing that Republicans could endanger democracy.
The Conservatives warn of an increase in violence and inflation in the country under Democratic rule and plan, among other things, a general veto on abortion if they regain legislative power.
8. What other issues will be decided in the elections?
Americans will also speak out in various states on abortion rights, the legalization of marijuana, the right to own and carry a gun, or the prohibition of “imposed servitude” as a punishment, an issue that sometimes affects incarcerated people and their work in prison pay without giving anything in return.
9. How many people vote?
According to the last census, the USA has a total of 333.26 million inhabitants.
In these elections, 8.3 million young people will be able to vote for the first time. According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), about 4.5 million are white, another 2 million are Latino and 1.2 million are black.
According to the Pew Research Center, more than 158.4 million people voted in the 2020 presidential election, representing 62.8% of the voting-age population. In the 2018 parliamentary elections, this proportion was 47.5%.
10. Appetizer of the President 2024?
Neither Biden nor Trump have officially said they will run for president again, but their cues and notoriety this campaign have provided a continuation of their previous showdown in the 2020 election and a taste of what’s to come in two years new election duel could be .
The composition of Congress will determine each individual’s strengths and in all likelihood open up a dance of names in it, it won’t just be Biden and Trump. And as of Wednesday, a new period begins with a single date in mind: the presidential elections on November 5, 2024.