The Harm of Constituent Pressure to Vote Based on Party Preferences

In modern day American politics, it is not rare for the public to criticize the work of Congress members. Constituents want their elected members to be active in their roles and get things done. What constituents often overlook, however, is how the pressure they place on Congress members may result in quite possibly the opposite. That is to say that when constituents do not allow their elected officials to compromise and they instead pressure them to vote in alliance with the party, it becomes more difficult for the elected officials to do their job. In order to fully understand this issue, the underlying factor of polarization must also be understood. Additionally, this common theme in American politics can create negative impacts that should be taken into consideration. I will lastly propose that Congress should engage in more unorthodox lawmaking. This practice could lead to a government with more capacity and success. 

Given the current nature of American politics, it is no surprise that constituents are playing an active role in preventing members of Congress from actively passing legislation. The United States Congress describes how polarization in America is the worst it has possibly ever been (Adler, Jenkins, Shipan). It further explains how in 2014, there was absolutely no ideological overlap between members of both parties (Adler, Jenkins, Shipan). What this means for Congress is that there is more pressure from their constituents (Adler, Jenkins, Shipan). With more polarized voters, they are also more likely to care very deeply about particular issues and expect their elected officials to not compromise on such issues. One recent example is ObamaCare. On both sides, voters were very passionate about whether it should or should not be removed (Adler, Jenkins, Shipan). They passionately protested for or against the healthcare bill and made it clear to their elected officials that a vote against their constituents’ preferences could get them kicked out of office (Adler, Jenkins, Shipan). This can create significant problems in the legislative process. 

Figure 1: 

As displayed above in Figure 1, approval ratings for Congress have decreased dramatically in recent years. Due to Congress members’ heavy focus on reelection, they likely pay attention to these ratings. They may then feel more motivated to respond to the wants of their constituents. With members of both parties feeling an intense pressure to please their constituents who are polarized and set in what they want, any compromise on a particular bill is unlikely to occur. With both sides unwilling to compromise on how a bill should address any ongoing issue, nothing ends up being done. This can lead to a lack of productivity in Congress. 

The failure to achieve anything in Congress has generated a lot of frustrations. Even members themselves have gone to extra and surprising lengths as an attempt to get things done. The article titled “Why we should expect to see more rule-breaking in Congress from now on” details the moment when Democratic members of Congress participated in a sit-in (Alexander). This sit in was designed to protest what they perceived as a lack of action on gun control from the Republican Congress members (Alexander). In the end, however, this event turned out to be more of a symbolic gesture because no major legislation was passed (Alexander). In order for Congress to become more productive and make actual compromises, they need to engage in more unorthodox lawmaking. Unorthodox lawmaking refers to legislative practices that may appear out of the norm. That can include not sending a bill to a committee or holding negotiations behind closed doors. Though this can be a controversial practice, it may lead to more productivity in Congress if it were to occur more frequently. Congress members could feel less motivated to act on the pressures of their constituents and, therefore, be more willing to compromise with members of the opposite party. 

Although the frustrations and distrust that constituents may feel towards Congress are understandable, it is important to also understand that constituents can impact why certain bills do not get passed. The great polarization that is present today has led to very deeply held beliefs on certain issues that constituents may not want to see their elected officials compromise on. This attitude can harm the legislative’s body ability to pass major bills. For that very reason, I propose that the practice of unorthodox lawmaking be further explored. 

Works Cited

Adler, E. Scott, et al. The United States Congress. W.W. Norton & Company, 2019.

Alexander, Brian. Why We Should Expect to See More Rule-Breaking in Congress from Now On. 

LSE USCENTRE, 27 Sept. 2018.