The past several months have been host to one of the most historic and media-driven presidential elections in recent memory, a season marked not only by its many departures from "normal" election proceedings but also by its potential to affect our national future for far more than the four or eight years to come. This tumultuous election season has been marred by sexual assault allegations, federal investigations into improper email handling, refusals to release tax returns and closed-door speeches; but at the end of the day, it will leave the country with much more than its next commander-in-chief. With an open Supreme Court seat and three elderly justices who may be poised to retire from the court in the coming years, the next president has the potential to appoint up to four justices. Beyond policy promises, the potential influence our next president may have on the Supreme Court should weigh heavily on the minds of every citizen voting in this election.
Three months ago, the Tufts Republicans decided that the Republican nominee for president, Donald Trump, did not adequately represent the conservative values and platform of the Republican party. Differences of opinion led the group to decide not to endorse a candidate for president and instead to focus our attention on the other important races and ballot measures happening this election cycle. Our greatest hope for Election Day is that the American people are resisting the flashy trap of 24/7 presidential race media coverage and devoting time to educating themselves (and voting) on the down-ballot elections and ballot measures in contest across the country. All 435 national House of Representative seats are up for election, and congressional races endanger a Republican-controlled Senate – but not by much. While Republicans hold the majority of the 34 Senate seats currently up for re-election, these Republicans have the proven advantage of incumbency. Polls show that the odds of the Senate changing hands are about 50/50, giving citizens all the more reason to be serious and informed about how they vote in these down-ballot Senate elections.
Today, on the state-wide level, a staggering 80.2 percent of the nation’s state legislative seats (5,923 out of 7,383 seats) are up for election. While media coverage of the races for state legislative seats is largely overshadowed by that of the presidential election, the lasting day-to-day effects of state-level legislation on the average citizen arguably overshadow even those of the president.
In addition to the races for national and state legislative seats, there are over 150 ballot measures up for consideration by voters across the country, including four here in Massachusetts. Since these ballot measures are decided by popular vote alone, voter turnout is incredibly important.
Our reflections on this election cycle have taken a step back from the race for the White House in an effort to emphasize how much more there is to our political system than the Executive Branch — and how much more every ballot represents. A vote is more than a binary decision between candidates: It is a comprehensive voicing of support for representation at every level of government, with the potential to make lasting change for far longer than four years. So when the election results come in, we will be paying attention to far more than the presidential results, and you should, too. We, Tufts Republicans, look forward to this next great chapter of American politics.
