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What Are the Midterm Elections & How Do They Work? - Behind the News

1,065 views · Published 14 November 2018 · 4:18 · Indexed 25 September 2026

Channel: Behind the News · 2018 · Education

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Midway through the president's term American's go to the polls to elect who will represent them in congress. They're not deciding who will be president but the result could still have a big impact on the US in the years ahead.
The midterm elections are when American voters get to decide who represents them in Congress. America's version of our parliament. It's made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Reps is a lot bigger than ours, it has 435 seats and every single one of those went up for re-election. While in the Senate, which has six-year terms, just 35 seats were up for grabs. 
Politicians, including from both major parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican party, campaigned pretty hard for seats. And it's fair to say that at times things got a bit weird and a little explosive. Both sides had some powerful help. Over just six days, President Trump held 11 campaign events across eight states, all in support of Republican candidates. While the Democrats went more edible. Hello Barack Obama, bringer of donuts.
Even though midterms are baby elections, there is a good reason people take them so seriously. They can decide which party has the power in Congress, because just like in Australia, introducing laws means passing them through both houses. Donald Trump represents the Republican Party, and before the midterms, the Republicans controlled both houses.
It's helped President Trump do things like introduce tax cuts, and rewrite or undo Barack Obama's environmental policies. But that's all about to change. The Democrats have now won more seats than the Republicans in the House of Representatives. So, some of Trump's policies like building a giant wall along the border of Mexico, are going to be much, much harder to get through.
The midterms are about more than just seats and policy. They're also seen as a good indicator of how people are feeling about the President at the half way mark of their 4-year term. Unlike here in Australia, voting's not compulsory in the US. Only around 55 per cent of people vote in Presidential elections, and even fewer come out for midterms, about 40 per cent.
But these midterms saw record numbers, meaning people were really keen to show how happy or how unhappy they are, with how their country's being run right now. Because of the result, experts predict things will get even more heated over the next two years. New laws will need the co-operation of both sides, with the Republicans strongly holding onto the Senate, and the Democrats in control of the House of Reps. So, it could be a very long two years, or a very short two years, depending on how you look at it.

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