In this assignment, we’ll explore the process of congressional elections, which determine the composition of the United States Congress. Congressional elections, held every two years, decide who will represent each state in the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate. These elections are crucial as they impact the legislative direction of the country by influencing which political party controls Congress. You’ll examine factors such as campaign strategies, voter turnout, and the role of incumbency. Understanding these elements will help you grasp how representatives are chosen and how congressional elections shape government policy and the balance of power.
Link to Reading - Understanding Congressional Elections
| What are some reasons why incumbents possess a pronounced advantage in Congressional elections? | They have a name recognition factor along with their past history and an established funding. |
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| How do open primaries diverge from closed primaries, and what implication do each carry for voter participation? | Open primaries allow voting for any party whilst a closed primary needs you to register to vote. An open primary will have higher turn outs but there’s potentials for interference from the other party, while the opposite is true for closed (Less turnout but no interference). |
| What is the significance of mid-term elections, and how do they typically reshape the composition of Congress? | The “ruling” president’s party will generally receive a loss of congressional seats, a mid-term penalty, this stops the congress from acting in the president’s favor. |
| Discuss how voter turnout and party line voting impact election outcomes in US Congressional elections. | Voter turnout is a crucial factor for results, if younger people have a high turn out then the results will skew more democratic; younger people are generally more democratic. Meanwhile party line voting reflects political divisions and social identification. For instance, if there was a strong democratic oppression then there would be a stronger line voting for republican candidates. |
| Are there term limits? Explain if you think there should or should not be term limits. | There are term limits in congress, 6 for Senators and 2 for House of Representatives. I think that having term limits is very important and stops political stagnation and allows for unfavored people to be voted out. |