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There is now a big gap between democratic aspirations and the reality of the American electoral system. The midterm elections show how much.

The midterm elections in the US are expensive, extremely expensive. That was clear before the polls closed: The election campaign on both sides, in which Republicans want to break Democrats’ majority in Congress, has gobbled up nearly $17 billion—to make it difficult, if not impossible, for Joe. Biden to rule for years to come. Which, of course, the Democrats want to avoid.

$17 billion, which is even more money than the bid between Biden and Donald Trump in the fight against the White House in 2020. But a lot of money on both sides does not mean that the midterm elections, also known as ‘fatal elections’, are also special be honest. On the contrary. The US electoral system has been shown in the past to struggle with many problems. An inventory shows to what extent democratic ambitions and reality now differ:

The influence of money

Whoever wants political power in the US usually needs one thing above all: a lot of money. “You have to be able to afford to run for election,” explains Volker Depkat, a lecturer in American Studies at the University of Regensburg. “It has a lot to do with the fact that elections in the US are still won by advertising on television and increasingly on the Internet.” In Germany campaign budgets in the billions would be unthinkable. Unlike in the United States, where the two major parties are organized differently than in this country.

“Everyone who participates must first fund themselves,” says historian Depkat. “This is often done through wealthy patrons, who can steer politics to some extent in the interests of their respective interests.” However, the researcher points to a side effect: “The US is still one of the richest countries in the world, which makes it difficult to organize political majorities for the concerns of the poor in the lower third of society.”

After all, financially, there is a sort of equality between Democrats and Republicans: both parties spend about the same amount on campaign ads. However, the large sums of money are causing parts of the American population to lose faith in politics, especially in the capital. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center polling agency, 65 percent of all adult Americans agree that candidates for political office should pursue their own interests.

Voters’ money also plays an important role. If their prosperity is at risk, it has serious consequences: “There is insecurity in the middle class, which has partly withdrawn from the political process,” says Volker Depkat. “As a result, elections are increasingly being won at the political margins. And people vote for charlatans who make false promises to them.”

the gerrymandering

Every vote counts In fact, this statement is not entirely true in the United States. Because in every constituency the principle “The winner takes it all” applies. So votes for the losing candidate are completely lost. In such an electoral system it is therefore crucial which voters form a constituency. And that is rarely due to chance, but mainly to the so-called gerrymandering.

In the US, gerrymandering is the designation of constituencies. Where exactly the boundaries between them run within a state, the ruling party can decide relatively freely. In neighborhoods where it is scarce for one’s own camp, areas where voting is safer can be annexed via gerrymandering. “Gerrymandering is a problem in the US, with both Republicans and Democrats using this procedure,” explains Volker Depkat.

At the moment, however, Republicans mainly use it. “Because they have a majority in a significant number of states,” Depkat said. This leads to extreme disruptions in political and demographic conditions. Minorities are particularly affected by this. For example, areas that are predominantly African American can be divided in such a way that their votes don’t matter. African Americans are more likely to vote Democrats than Republicans. Gerrymandering’s voting advantage is about four to six percent for Republicans over Democrats.

The constituencies of the liberal city of Austin, Texas, for example, are so fragmented and combined with areas in the conservative upper state of Austin that liberal majorities can no longer be reached. The state of Wisconsin is also an example of the consequences of gerrymandering: in 2018 54 percent of voters voted for Democrats. Despite this, Republicans won 63 of the 99 seats in the House.

In Georgia, which is now highly competitive, gerrymandering means that the state as a whole is a swing state, that is, a state in which both parties are about equal in strength, but there are hardly any swing districts (constituencies). This means that in most Georgia constituencies it is already pretty clear whether they will fall into the hands of the Democrats or the Republicans. Who else wants to vote?

Tuesday as Election Day

But the injustice in the US election begins at a completely different level: Election Day. Traditionally, the elections there have to take place on Tuesday. This also applies to the current midterm elections. In most of the world’s democracies, voters vote on weekends so they usually don’t have to work. Most Americans, on the other hand, can only exercise their civil rights during their normal working hours. This is a major reason why turnout in the US is usually between 40 and 50 percent.

Poorer people in particular limit the choice on Tuesday. If you need every dollar, you still have to fund your life with multiple jobs. So you must be able to afford to accept loss of revenue for democracy. Studies show that poorer Americans are much less likely to vote than richer ones.

However, in many states, Americans can vote before Election Tuesday. In addition to this so-called “early voting”, there is also the possibility to vote by post. People who have to work a lot, are old, sick or disabled or live far from a polling station can use this to plan their elections.

Restrictions on voting rights

Ironically, early voting has been severely curtailed in about 20 Republican-administered states in recent months. An example is Texel. A far-reaching electoral reform was carried out there. The real purpose behind it: to prevent voting for the Democrats.

The reform will make it significantly more difficult for ethnic minorities, who are often poorer and more likely to vote democratically, to vote, especially in the winning Democratic districts. Postal ballot boxes were banned, as were 24-hour polling stations, where you could previously drive your car. That this is no small matter was demonstrated in the highly competitive state of Georgia. Joe Biden won it in 2020 by just 11,000 votes ahead of Donald Trump. But now there is also a discriminatory new electoral law there.

Every state has two senators?

It is also regularly criticized that each state sends two senators to Washington, DC – regardless of population. This ignores the fact that, unlike in the Senate, members of the House of Representatives are elected based on the population of the states they come from. “Looking at the US Senate separately doesn’t do it justice,” Volker Depkat said. “Within Congress it is unthinkable without the House of Representatives, both chambers must agree to legislative projects.”

Historian Depkat explains that there are two different principles of representation for the two chambers of the United States Congress. The Senate stands for equality between the states and sends two senators each, the House of Representatives to represent the states according to their population share. Now, in the current midterms, this House of Representatives is re-elected together with 35 senators.

election deniers

What’s new about these midterm elections is the large number of Republican candidates who claim the 2020 presidential election has been “stolen” by Democrats. If they each lose the election, it is completely unclear whether they will recognize the result or, like Donald Trump, deny the other party’s victory. This departure from a fundamental principle of democracy is perhaps America’s greatest threat.

At many levels, Republicans are also trying to appoint people who, if in doubt, can invalidate the results of the next presidential election in 2024. This includes the office of Secretary of the Interior in many states. In many cases, ardent Trumpists run to this office. In places where impartial and neutral action is required, the party book could quickly decide victory and defeat. Trump openly admits this, saying:

This would mean the end of American democracy as we know it.

((By Bastian Brauns and Marc von Lüpke/bb,mvl ))