Once again Georgia votes for the Senate, which is why the race matters

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  Mary DeVries

  Correspondent from the United States

Polling stations have opened in the US state of Georgia for the second round of elections for the last Senate seat in Congress. 1.8 million people have already voted early. This is unexpectedly a lot, because for this species outflow-elections usually lacks enthusiasm.

But Georgia voters appear convinced that their vote will determine not only which candidate enters the Senate, but also how the balance of power between Republicans and Democrats in Congress develops over the next two years.

In the midterm elections Republicans have a majority in the House of Representativesbut the Democrats succeeded the Senate winning fifty seats. With that, Democrats, with the VP as Senate Speaker, already have a slim majority, but Georgia’s seat would give them more counterweight to a Republican House.

For example, they can block Republican bills in the House of Representatives. But there are more points that both sides are fighting fiercely for this last seat.

In a 50/50 Senate, neither side has full control over the subcommittees. A special power-sharing agreement stipulates that senate committees must be composed of equal numbers of members from both parties.

In that case, the vice president’s casting vote plays no role. Republicans can then make things difficult for Democrats. If the Democrats with the Georgia seat win a majority, they will also win major committee seats.

The Senate makes important appointments to federal positions, such as Supreme Court justices for life. At this point, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee can obstruct or delay that nomination. It won’t work if the Democrats win the extra seat.

With the current 50/50 ratio in the Senate, Democrats needed to get all Senators on the same page to do anything. As a result, relatively conservative Democratic Senator Joe Manchin from the coal state of West Virginia in particular has had a lot of power and has been able to drastically limit the Biden government’s climate plan, for example. This will happen less with a difference of two places.

The Republican House of Representatives is expected to launch investigations into the Biden administration, such as its approach to the immigration problem or the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. Biden can also be impeached, after which the Senate must vote on a possible impeachment. Reports to the Senate are also of crucial importance.

That much depends on this latest race for the Senate for both parties can also be seen from the almost 80 million dollars spent Spot from the TV campaign.

If today gets tight, the final results could still take days, but the first predictions are expected to be available tonight Dutch time.