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Introduction: The '90 Elections: Why They Are Critical
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18275 |
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CURRENT ISSUES
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10 / 1990 |
1,043 Words |
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Politicians are always saying that “this election is the most important election of the decade” - or even the century, if they are feeling particularly hyperbolic. Having heard the rhetoric so often, American are inclined to shake their heads and go about their normal business, which in recent years has meant that fewer and fewer citizens vote. Such nonparticipation would be a serious mistake this fall, for the elections of 1990 will shape much of the U.S. Congress and therefore American Politics for the next decade.
The reason is Article I Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, which requires that the seats of the House of Representatives be reapportioned every 10 years following the national census. There being only a finite number of congressional seats - 435 - and with the population of the United States in constant flux, states are always gaining or losing seats. However, the Founding Fathers, staunch believers in political checks and balances, prevented Congress from deciding its own boundaries by giving state legislatures the power to draw new congressional districts. So, paradoxically, this November's noncongressional elections will determine to a considerable degree the composition of Congress in the 1990s.
The political stakes are high. Although the 1990 census has not yet been completed, preliminary figures indicate that California will pick up seven congressional seats, Texas four seats, and Florida four seats, while New York will lose three congressional seats, Michigan two seats, and Massachusetts's one seat. At present, there are Republican governors in the states that will gain seats, which would seem to give the redistricting advantage to the GOP. But the state legislatures in these states are basically controlled by Democrats. Because both governors and legislatures must agree on the new congressional district, Republicans and Democrats are spending enormous amounts of time and money on state contests in 1990, particularly the governors' races.
Some cynics, examining Congress' failure to manage federal spending, its recent lapses in the field of ethics, and its tendency to be more concerned about its own future than that of the nation, might murmur, “Much ado about nothing.” But for all its flaws, Congress remains an essential part of our government and our politics. It is the branch of the federal government that has always prided itself on being closest to the people. There are indications, however, that Congress is now taking the people for granted. That is always dangerous in politics. Indeed, polls suggest that a voters' revolt against politicians, especially incumbent politicians, is
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