There are important elections that will take place across the United States of America today called mid-terms.
The American people elect a president, currently President Joe Biden, every four years.
This President will hold power over four years, this is called a term. Elections happen two years into each term giving the name mid-term.
What is a midterm election?
These elections give people the chance to vote for politicians in congress, which make the USA’s laws.
Congress is made of two different chambers – the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The two main parties in the USA – the Democrats and the Republicans – try to get more politicians in Congress than the other so they can pass the laws they want.
These elections normally mean bad news for the party that controls the white house, in this case the Democrats, as people who don’t like the President’s decisions are more likely to come out and vote.
What will get decided?
All the seats in the House of Representatives, which is 435, and one-third of the seats in the Senate will be up for election.
At the moment the House of Representatives is controlled by the Democrats, but only by a small margin.
In the Senate there is a 50-50 split between the two parties.
Why are these elections important?
Mainly because they could impact how much Joe Biden can do while in power. If the Republicans control either one of the chambers it will make it difficult for the President to pass the laws, he wants.
As the Democrats hold power by such slim margins, any change in the Republicans favour could lead to less control for the President.
It can also affect people around the world. The USA is one of the major superpowers in the world and decisions made there can have ripple effects around the globe, especially on the global economy.
