Every four years, Americans are subject to widespread political ads advertising party primaries and the general presidential election itself. Indeed, choosing your presidential candidate is absolutely important; after all, they become the face of the nation and the commander in chief. However, the extent to which they are able to successfully pass policy is heavily reliant on who is in the American Congress.
Congress makes up the legislative branch of United States politics. It is a bicameral legislature, meaning it is composed of two bodies, the Senate and the House of Representatives, aiming to pass and vote on laws. Excluding special elections (spontaneous elections occurring in the event that a member of Congress is unable to continue serving their term), congressional elections take place every two years. Yet, the turnout of these elections is often underwhelming.
According to the Pew Research Center, voter turnout in the 2022 midterm (congressional) elections was 45.1%, which was down from 48.1% turnout in 2018. Undoubtedly, Americans do not always find these elections worth voting in. This may be partly due to a lack of education in regards to the balance of power in the United States government. Americans must learn that the change they desire will not ever arrive if they do not pay attention to their elected representatives.
Throughout times with a contrasting president and Congress, agendas from the president are often halted. For instance, in the 2014 midterm elections, Republicans took full control of the United States Congress, hindering President Barack Obama’s democratic plans of advancing his healthcare legislation. Additionally, the 2018 midterm elections resulted in the balance of power in the House of Representatives being shifted towards Democrats. This shift sparked disputes in which disagreements between President Trump’s caucus and the Democratic caucus created a partial government shutdown.
Voting for your president is absolutely important, but if Congress is forgotten, the agenda and changes you hope to see occur will likely be obstructed.