Vacancy

Critical Analysis

1. According to the data from the map above, how many states have special elections to fill senatorial vacancies?

2. According to the data from the map above, how many states allow the governor to fill senatorial vacancies with no restrictions?

3. In your state, how is a senatorial replacement determined?

4. Can you think of a better English word than gubernatorial? I can’t can you? Speaking of cool words, check out the translation of “grapefruit” in French.

5. This year, as in every even-numbered year, about a third of U.S. Senate seats will be up for election. What is the current party split (how many Democrats, how many Republicans?) in the U.S. Senate?

6. Why does it matter which party controls the Senate?

7. In what way does this issue illustrate the concept of federalism?

8. In 2020, the mean age of the population of the United States was 38.6 years. The mean age of U.S. senators, as of May 3, 2022, is now 65.1, making this the oldest Senate in American history. A quarter of senators are in their 70s, and seven are in their 80s; the latter group includes Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley, who is 88 and running for an eighth term this year, and California Democrat Dianne Feinstein, who will turn 89 in June and is the chamber’s oldest current member. Explain how the difference in mean age of the Senate and of the rest of the United States impacts policy.

9. The current system for filling vacant Senate seats dates to the ratification of the 17th Amendment in 1913. Along with letting people elect their senators directly – state legislatures had chosen them up to that point – the amendment gave states the option of letting their governors appoint temporary replacements. The only states not to do so are North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island and Wisconsin; in those states, vacancies can only be filled by special election. Explain whether you think special elections are a better way of picking replacements than gubernatorial selections.

10. Given the average age of U.S. Senators, how likely is it that there will be a replacement in the next year?

Learning Extension

Read this entire scintillating and frankly, life-changing Pew Research article on gubernatorial replacement.

Actions Extension

Go to Merriam Webster online definition of gubernatorial. Click on the sound icon and turn your volume up really loud. Have your computer “say”

gubernatorial. How does that feel? Now capture that sound and make it the ringtone for your best friend.

Visual Extension*