representation

• • Congressional elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
  • All 435 House members are elected every two years.
  • Senate elections occur every two years, but only one-third of Senators are up for election.
• • Senators are divided into three classes (I, II, III), with one class elected every two years.
  • Class I Senators were elected in 2018.
• Congressional Elections: Turnout

  • Congressional elections that are the same year as presidential elections have higher turnout.
  • Midterm turnout can be incredibly low - in 2014 turnout was 36.4%.
  • Voter turnout in the 2016 presidential election in comparison was 58.1%
• Incumbency

  • Incumbents are the members of Congress who have previously been elected to Congress and are looking to get re-elected.
  • There is an advantage to being an incumbent and running in an election - incumbents are more likely to get elected.
  • Over the last 50 years, incumbents have been reelected around 80% of the time.
• • Incumbents have greater name recognition, reducing the need for publicity.
  • They often have an established donor base to fund their campaigns.
  • They can support policies and pass laws that attract swing voters.
  • This gives incumbents a funding and influence advantage over opponents, who may need to spend more.