The Waikato Times MONDAY, JUNE 13, 1938 AMERICAN ELECTIONS

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20523, 13 June 1938, Page 6

The Waikato Times MONDAY, JUNE 13, 1938 AMERICAN ELECTIONS

Elections in the United States cast their shadow a long way before. and already the prospects for November are being carefully studied, and preparations made. The House of Representatives is elected every two years, but only one-third of the members of the Senate has to seek re-election at a time so that, if any party has a large majority in the Senate, it does not follow that the defeat of all its candidates will deprive it of control. At the present time the Democrats occupy a very strong position. In the Senate they have 75 members and their opponents total only 21. An adverse vote next November could not deprive the Democrats of control, and probably that is why the cabled reports mention the possibility of defeat in 1940. If the Republicans were to secure gains now, a further advance two Tears hence might give them a majority in the Senate. In the House of Representatives there are 334 Democrats, and about 100 members belonging to other parties, the largest being the Republicans with 89. In the election of the House it would be possible for the opponents of the present Administration to obtain a majority, but with the Senate still predominantly Democratic the only result would be to hamper the President, and prevent him from putting his policy into operation. Nominally the American House of Representatives is elected by universal suffrage, for the Constitution lays it down that no one must be prevented from voting “on account of race, colour, or previous condition of servitude.” But the franchise actually is not universal. The States may, provided they keep within the bounds of the Constitution, impose their own conditions, and there are some remarkable barriers. In the South the State legislatures, in order to exclude negro electors, have made it necessary for people who wish to qualify for a vote to “give a reasonable explanation of what they read.” In others the ability to read is a test and in Massachusetts the ability to read English. The requirements with regard to length of residence vary greatly and in some States the payment of taxes is necessary to qualify for the suffrage. On the other hand some of the Western States give a vote to unnaturalised people who have formally declared that they intend to become citizens of the Republic. The reference books, when dealing with the conditions imposed, state plainly that some of them are too complicated for explanation in the space available. With the number of voters running into tens of millions, the work of organising demands great skill and very heavy expenditure. Many posts are filled by the victors and the first duty of the occupants is to forward the interests of the party. The coming elections, it is predicted will see the majority of the Democrats in both Chambers reduced, but the real test will come in 1940, when the presidential elections will add vim to what is always a strenuous campaign.