Congressional Elections: Do They Work Well?

If not, questions arise - like What, How, Why, Who

Gallup – October 2025

We have two all-powerful political parties in contrast with most other respected world democracies. One outcome of an election is that each chamber of Congress is controlled by one or the other of the two parties. Since the parties are so similar in size, the power will be almost evenly divided in each chamber. See the chart below. Due to the nature of two opposing entities striving for power – much like that of two children – their relationship has degenerated into a constant battle. A change in power in one of the chambers in these times immediately results in the newly empowered party beginning to unwind what the other party just finished. The parties tend to vote in blocks because winning is more important to them than solving the country’s problems. The ultimate result of the election will be “more of the same” in that the fighting will continue, but perhaps with somewhat of a shift of power, the see-saw effect.

Party in Power - ChatGPT

How did we paint ourselves into this corner? The answer isn’t trivial but is vital to the future of our country. What went wrong?

We voters were too sleepy to realize what was happening

Why has polarization and division in Congress accelerated so much in recent years, a complex dynamic that has troubled many of us. Congress has divided more sharply into two opposing camps; most of that has to do with the lust for power and making more aggressive use of the tools to get it. This affects the media and the public, and they in turn affect what happens in Congress. Positions harden. The far left and the far right have become more aggressive and combative. Parties have become firmer in ostracizing unruly members, making it risky and unpleasant for them to deviate; it is unfortunate and dysfunctional for members of Congress not to feel free to vote their conscience. Any reduction of polarization in Congress, the media, or the public likely would create improvements in the other two.

There is a growing realization that our electoral/election methods are at fault. They have evolved to nurture a two-party government, serving the needs of these two parties to be in power. These two parties make up a duopoly – control by two political powers. They make the election of candidates from any other party almost impossible.

Some parts of our electoral system still use the first-past-the-post method in which a candidate in an election of more than two people can win with a plurality – less than a majority. We don’t always require a majority to win a congressional race!

The two leading parties in America both stood to gain by not having competition from any other parties. How did we sleep through the process of our current electoral methods being put firmly in place by the two strong parties over the past few decades? My son Steve suggested a metaphor. The electoral methods were and are like an invasive plant, kudzu in the south and juniper in Texas and Mexico, that chokes out competitive plants.

Better electoral methods are important – vitally important! They are a little complex and represent a change which makes voters somewhat hesitant. However, most of them are used widely internationally and increasingly in state and local governments. Congress and state legislatures, run by these same two parties, created the methods in use now. We the people can insist on changes, and we should do so before it is too late.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result – Albert Einstein