Overview for American Politics Unit 3C – Representative Processes in the USA: Elections

Elections

It has been a rampant year in American politics; starting off with the 2014 midterm election which completely turned the Obama administration upside down. The loss of 6 Democratic Senate seats and a further 13 seats lost in the House of Representatives defied many congressional trends. Despite incumbency being at a high of 96.4%, safe seated incumbents including Pryor and Landrieu were removed – the effect; gargantuan. Not a single Democrat is present in the Deep South states.

Aside Congressional elections, the bid for 2016 is looking… well interesting. There’s greater representation for one; and candidates with the key demographic appeal standing for election. Ben Carson, a neurosurgeon is posing as the black but anti-Obama candidate whilst Carly Fiorina is putting up a bid against Hilary Clinton for the female vote (and not to mention her amazing business mindset!) However, contenders and likely frontrunners include Hilary Clinton, eponymous with the Clinton Foundation which she had to resign from to stand for election. Previous candidates who stood in 2012 are giving it another go – for instance Rick Perry, the absolute joke he is, is standing once again despite coming 5^th and 6^th and Iowa and New Hampshire after losing – only winning less than 1% of the vote.

With inter-election months looming, the rush for campaign finance has begun! Political patrons, including the Koch Brothers have pledged their allegiance to the Republican Party - $889 million. Hilary Clinton’s SuperPAC READY! Has already raised an immense $15 million, showing the invisible primary season is well underway. The recent decision of McCutcheon v. FEC further reaffirms the rights of political speech declaring any limits unconstitutional. As a result of the Citizens Untied decision it is the opinion of Mrs Clinton, if she does succeed to remove the dark money associated with elections. This doesn’t remove from the concept that American elections are on a ‘pay to play’ basis, only benefitting the political elite. The midterm elections costing an immense $3.7 billion yet having the lowest turnout in 72 years further reaffirms the extent of elitism in the USA election process.

REFORM: perhaps. Some would argue that the mandatory split and straight ticket voting is unconstitutional – but this is easily solved through a relevant state court case or even a Supreme Court case. However, larger elements of reform to remove the anachronistic mechanism of the Electoral College seems more difficult as more constitutional planks would have to be dismantled to ensure this happens. The greatest issue within elections is the funding of them; an issue which seemingly has been sorted, but really has not.