However, with a Democratic president and divided party control of Congress, there is no clear remedy to inspire voters to change things this year, and that may be keeping Americans' motivation to vote and enthusiasm about voting in check. ![]() Earlier Gallup research suggested that low approval of Congress is associated with higher voter turnout in midterms. Americans are dissatisfied with the state of the nation and generally unhappy with the job the president is doing and even more so with the job Congress is doing. This year presents a different set of circumstances. Accordingly, there was little change in the party composition of Congress after those elections. In 19, in contrast, Americans were generally pleased with the way things were going in the country and with the job performance of the president and Congress - even with divided party control - and were thus less motivated to use their vote to try to change the government. And that is precisely what happened, with Democrats winning control of both houses of Congress in 2006, and Republicans winning control of the House of Representatives in 2010. In those elections, the same party controlled the presidency and both houses of Congress, so voters looking to change the government had a clear and obvious way to do so - voting against members of Congress from the majority party. One likely reason voter turnout was higher in 20 was that Americans were deeply dissatisfied with the state of the nation, as well as the jobs the president and Congress were doing. Although voter turnout has not varied greatly in recent midterm elections - ranging from a low of 38.1% of eligible voters in 1998 to a high of 40.9% in 2010 - there is a positive correlation between greater voter engagement on these measures and higher voter turnout. 25-30 poll, which includes updates on several key election indicators. The latest results are based on Gallup's Sept. On each of three indicators of voter engagement in midterm elections - how much thought Americans have given to them, their expressed motivation to vote, and their enthusiasm about voting compared with past elections - 2014 looks more like lower-turnout years 19 than higher-turnout years 20.ĭiscover how Americans rate their state in 2014, across key metrics (He lives by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s precept that “a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.”) But it was Reid’s response to the loss of Senate seats in 2010 that began the process.PRINCETON, NJ - Turnout in the midterm elections this fall could be lower than in the past two midterm elections, based on current voter engagement. Maybe McConnell would have ended judicial filibusters anyway, despite his professed opposition. And with a single-minded focus on the courts - in contrast to the pace of Obama’s nominations - McConnell and Trump succeeded in putting some 220 mostly young conservatives on the bench, including three Supreme Court justices, who will keep the courts conservative for decades. That opened the door for Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to extend that decision to the high court once Republicans took the Senate in 2014 and the White House two years later. Reid (D-Nev.) announced the end of filibusters for all judgeships except Supreme Court seats. The backlog grew so intense that Senate Majority Leader Harry M. This became acute when it came to federal judgeships. With the loss of nine Senate seats, the Democrats’ chances of overcoming filibusters essentially vanished. In the House, Republicans took the chair of every committee, launching investigations of matters from Benghazi to Operation Fast and Furious to probe - or harass - the Obama administration for the next six years. ![]() ![]() The more you add up the consequences of this midterm rout, the bigger the dimensions of 2010 become.
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