Elections in the United States in 2006
Elections were held in the United States on November 7, 2006 . These are also known as mid- term elections because the president was not elected. Overall, the Democrats emerged victorious from the election.
The following were elected:
- All 435 seats in the House of Representatives . see: Elections to the United States House of Representatives 2006
- 33 of the 100 seats in the Senate . see: United States Senate Elections 2006
- the post of governor in 36 of the 50 states . see: 2006 United States gubernatorial elections
- many state-level parliaments
- as well as some local legislatures
Issues that determine election campaigns
The election campaign was dominated by the situation in Iraq . With soaring troop casualties and almost daily reports of suicide bombings and fears that the United States would lose control of Iraq, many voters in President George W. Bush's Republican Party were disappointed and blamed the administration for serious errors. Before the election, the editors of the Army Times , a newspaper that is sold on all bases in the United States, demanded in an editorial that Donald Rumsfeld be replaced because of the situation in Iraq. Approval for the president's work fell to around 35%, and the election was seen as a plebiscite on the president's Iraq policy.
In addition, there were numerous scandals shortly before the election that damaged the reputation of the Republicans as a party of decency and Christian morality. For example, Congressman Mark Foley has been caught sending lewd messages via instant messaging to male underage messenger boys in Congress . Elected Republicans were implicated in corruption scandals, and Ted Haggard , an influential Christian minister and a strong supporter of the president, who always moved in preaching against same-sex marriage position turned out to be gay and confessed in front of cameras, the drug crystal meth buy , but not having taken.
Thus, the Republicans were weakened in two of the core competencies that the electorate attributed to them, namely good security policy and their position as defenders of decency and morality. In numerous states, however, referenda banning same-sex marriage were also on the ballot paper; a topic that has a polarizing effect in the USA and drives voters to the polls.
Reports of irregularities
- Problems with the voting machines , Süddeutsche Zeitung , November 7, 2006
- When in doubt for the Republicans , FAZ , November 6, 2006
- Doubts about the new voting machines (tagesschau.de archive), tagesschau.de , November 6, 2006
- In the Land of 'Every Vote Counts,' Uncertainty on Whether It's Counted Correctly , New York Times , November 2, 2006
- Problems in test run for voting , Miami Herald , October 31, 2006
- Defective, unreliable, manipulable , Spiegel Online , October 31, 2006
See also
Web links
- E-voting state by state: What you need to know , Computerworld, November 2, 2006, extensive information on the voting machines used in the 2006 US elections.
- CNN election special including detailed results and analyzes
- Current poll results New York Times