Senate

• Upper house with 100 members (2 from each state)
• Elected for 6 years, 1/3 is elected every two years
• Must be at least 30 years old, US citizen for 9 years and a resident of the state they represent
• Salary is $174,000
• Elect VP if no candidate has her 50% in electoral college
• It is effective

  • No Child Left Behind Act: authored by both democrats and republicans
  • Civil Rights Act (1964): faced democratic filibuster but passed by republican support
  • Late 1960s televised hearings of the senate foreign relations committee on the pentagon papers solidified public opposition to continue Vietnam war ending conflict
• Not effective

  • Filibusters in senate can stall legislation: 113th congress had 36 bills filibustered
  • Electoral college system: 2020 Biden won popular vote by over 5 million yet race was perceived as close due to electoral college