Sometimes change to a cherished tradition is necessary. When the Constitution was written in 1787, it was a kind of experiment. There was no history of previous similar central governments as were detailed in the Constitution. James Madison and other contributors to the document utilized the ideas of a number of enlightenment philosophers when they crafted the Constitution, but the specific structure of the government and the process of governing were created de novo.[icopyright one button toolbar]
The president was to be elected indirectly by the Electoral College every four years, Senators chosen by the state legislatures for six year terms, and members of Congress were to be elected directly by the people every two years. However, the realization that there might be a better way of choosing senators led to the XVII Amendment to the Constitution, enacted in 1913, which allowed the people of each state to elect their senators directly. For a number of reasons, the terms of members of Congress should be changed to three years. A Constitutional Amendment will be necessary to do this, but the change would be beneficial for the nation.
Huge amounts of money are now being spent on every election including those for members of Congress. With elections occurring every two years for Congressional seats, running for Congress entails virtually a continuous campaign, focusing on raising adequate funds to try and hold onto these Congressional seats as soon as members are first elected. When not trying to generate money, members of Congress generally visit their districts as much as possible in order to mix with their constituents. This Congressional traveling means that the institution is out of session more than it is in session, with members campaigning and raising money instead of working on legislation, holding hearings, attending committee meetings, and so forth. Rather than having a full five day work week handling government business, work weeks for Congress have shrunken to two and a half or three days. There are also long vacation periods and times when Congress adjourns without any façade of working. Is it any wonder that less legislation is being passed by Congress in recent sessions, and much of what is passed is to please the party base back home and has no chance of being enacted by the Senate?
The fund raising and campaigning goes on in spite of the fact that incumbency is almost a sure ticket to re-election in Congress. The rates for Congressional incumbents to get re-elected if they are running again usually is between 90-95%, though in some election cycles it is even higher. Incumbents accrue campaign funding from lobbyists and special interests which helps place their advertising before the public and allows them to trash their opponents almost continuously with negative advertising. In addition, incumbents have the advantage of name recognition with their constituents which help them accumulate votes. The media in their districts also provide them with free publicity, with the press following them around and writing stories about them. Gerrymandering by the state legislatures has also created “safe districts” for many members of Congress, making fund raising and campaigning almost an unnecessary exercise. However, excess money can be shifted to party members in swing districts to help with their campaigns. Having a party majority in the House is important for getting legislation to the floor and receiving important committee appointments.
A number of political analysts have suggested that low voter turnout in American elections may be at least partly due to the frequency of campaigning and elections. All but the most rabid party adherents get turned off by these campaigns and elections, tuning out the advertising and not bothering to vote. Having Congressional elections every three years instead of every two years would be an improvement that might have more constituents participate in the political process. More time would also be available for members of Congress to pass legislation and actually get things done. There is no reason why Congressional elections every two years should not be changed to every three years.
Resurrecting Democracy
www.robertlevinebooks.com
Political junkie, Vietnam vet, neurologist- three books on aging and dementia. Book on health care reform in 2009- Shock Therapy for the American Health Care System. Book on the need for a centrist third party- Resurrecting Democracy- A Citizen’s Call for a Centrist Third Party published in 2011. Aging Wisely, published in August 2014 by Rowman and Littlefield. Latest book- The Uninformed Voter published May 2020