Does it seem as though Americans are more obsessed than usual with this year’s midterm elections?
Millions are waiting with baited breath for the results of early races in several key states, including a too-close-to-call election in Ohio. In one sense, the fascination is understandable. Trump is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of president, and everyone is curious to see whether he’ll help or hurt the GOP in this year’s races.
In another sense, however, the 24 hour news coverage and constant attention is troubling. Elections matter, but should they matter this much? Why is the country so fascinated with federal races while local and state elections go largely ignored?
This attention disparity reveals something deeper about the balance of power in our system of government. People are obsessed with national elections because the vast majority of power is concentrated in Washington, D.C. Americans understand that the results of one or two federal elections can have a profound impact on how they live their lives, even though officials in Washington have often never visited their communities and don’t really understand their problems.
One of the core values of the Convention of States Project is that decision-making power should reside as close to home as possible. Average citizens can have a real voice in their state and local elections, and it is these elections that should be the ones that truly matter.
An Article V Convention of States can propose constitutional amendments that empower state and local governments to make decisions for their own communities, which in turn will empower the people in those communities to have a say in their own futures.
