Edging Into Autocracy: How Can Ya Throw the Bums Out When There’s Only One Bum on the Ballot?

In 2022, 40.8% of all state legislative seats in the U.S. were uncontested.

Think that your vote really makes a difference?

“There were 6,278 state legislative seats up for election on November 8, 2022, in 46 states. Of that total, 2,560 (40.8%) were uncontested and had no major party competition.” (1)

Forty-point-eight percent. Uncontested. Slam dunk. Guaranteed. Nolo contendre.

Anybody for one party rule? (he asked, sarcastically).

It snowballs: “One of the two major parties was guaranteed a simple majority in 22 chambers across 16 states due to the absence of major party competition.” (1)

So much for democracy (he said, snidely).

The Cook Political Report classifies 26 Congressional seats as tossups in 2024. Cook also forecasts that 360 slots will be solid (that is, not in the least bit competitive). (2)

There are 435 seats in Congress.

So...a little math.

Three hundred sixty solid seats divided by 435 is nearly 83%. (Pass “Go”, collect two hundred dollars.)

Twenty-six tossup seats divided by 435 is six percent. A piddling six percent. True contests.

(Cook projects the remaining eleven percent or so as likely or leaning one way or the other.)

I live in an area deemed solid for state and federal legislative seats.

So I expect to look at my 2024 ballot rather forlornly (if not bitterly).

Because (thanks largely to gerrymandering) the outcomes are preordained.

Throw the bums out? Impossible!

Them Bums got tenure, dontcha know.

Sources:

(1) https://ballotpedia.org/Major_party_competition_in_state_legislative_elections,_2022

(2) https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings?mod=article_inline