Members Of Congress Are Out Of Touch With People That Elect Them Discuss
‘Members of congress are out of touch with people that elect them’ Discuss?
It’s been argued ever since the constitution was made how in touch the congress members where with the people who elect them and this argument still goes on today. With the 425 members of the House each has a district which averages nearly 650,000 people, this is a vast number with many arguing that there is little chance that congress can be in touch with the people when they have to represent such vast numbers. However, the other side of the argument displays evidence that in fact the members of congress are able to stay in touch and represent the people who elect them.
One of the main reasons why congress is out of touch with the people who elect them is down to the process of Gerrymandering. This is the practice where by senators and representatives attempt to establish a political advantage by manipulating district boundaries to create partisan advantages districts. Rather than allowing more political influence, some states have shifted redistricting authority from politicians and given it to non-partisan redistricting commissions. Gerrymandering has been criticized as it has reduced the competitiveness of Congressional election contests. Gerrymandered districts means that many senators and representatives face no serious challenge in the general election, and the only threat to their security is through a primary challenge; consequently the only constituency they have an incentive to represent is primary voters. This will therefore reduce the incentive for congress members to be in touch with all citizens.
The high cost of elections can analyse the reasons why congress members are seen to be out of touch with the people who elect them. For example, in the 2012 cycle candidates in the Massachusetts Senate race alone spent over $85m. In the 2012 mid-term election candidates in Kentucky's Senate race had raised over $19.4m and spent over $7.3m this is a vast amount of money and as
It’s been argued ever since the constitution was made how in touch the congress members where with the people who elect them and this argument still goes on today. With the 425 members of the House each has a district which averages nearly 650,000 people, this is a vast number with many arguing that there is little chance that congress can be in touch with the people when they have to represent such vast numbers. However, the other side of the argument displays evidence that in fact the members of congress are able to stay in touch and represent the people who elect them.
One of the main reasons why congress is out of touch with the people who elect them is down to the process of Gerrymandering. This is the practice where by senators and representatives attempt to establish a political advantage by manipulating district boundaries to create partisan advantages districts. Rather than allowing more political influence, some states have shifted redistricting authority from politicians and given it to non-partisan redistricting commissions. Gerrymandering has been criticized as it has reduced the competitiveness of Congressional election contests. Gerrymandered districts means that many senators and representatives face no serious challenge in the general election, and the only threat to their security is through a primary challenge; consequently the only constituency they have an incentive to represent is primary voters. This will therefore reduce the incentive for congress members to be in touch with all citizens.
The high cost of elections can analyse the reasons why congress members are seen to be out of touch with the people who elect them. For example, in the 2012 cycle candidates in the Massachusetts Senate race alone spent over $85m. In the 2012 mid-term election candidates in Kentucky's Senate race had raised over $19.4m and spent over $7.3m this is a vast amount of money and as