During election years that don't involve a presidential election, voter turnout and interest tend to decrease, but this year's election is piquing interest because the U.S House, Indiana House and U.S. Senate could all switch from Republican to Democratic control.
With the perceived mishandling of the Iraq War being the hot button issue in this election, Republicans at all levels of government are seeing a backlash that has thrown many races wide open, Joseph Losco, political science department chairman, said.
In Indiana, a traditionally Republican voting state, the state House, which is at a 52-48 Republican majority, could end up with a 56-44 majority for the Democrats, Political Science Professor Ray Scheele said. Similarly, the U.S. House is expected to turn Democratic, with 25 seats possibly switching from Republican to Democrat, Losco said.
Lost in the midst of these prominent races is the impact of local races. Governor Mitch Daniels, like President George W. Bush, has a low approval rating of around 40 percent. This means he can't effectively campaign on behalf of local Republicans, Scheele said.
In Delaware County, where many of the local positions are held by Republicans, Democrats are looking to take some of those seats. Many of the local offices up for election in Indiana aren't typically voted on by the general public in other states, Scheele said. The executive positions, county commissioner, county council and Center Township board member, are important because they are the policy makers for the region, he said. In these races, it is important that Democrats and Republicans are running for office, since they will be controlling public policy, Scheele said.
In some of the other races, it is not significant if the candidates belong to a certain political party, Scheele said. If the public has a positive view of the job the officers are doing, then they will have a positive impact on the political party they belong to, he said.
If the president is viewed favorably, his influence will filter down through all levels of government. In the same way, if local officials are seen to have done a good job, they will have the ability to influence local voters to vote for state and federal officials of their party, Scheele said.
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