Next month, Americans will take part in the nation’s midterm elections (see "This Election Election Could Change Your Future"). Midterms historically generate low voter turnouts. Without a competition for president on the ballot, many people seem to think that not as much is at stake.
This year may be very different. The country is sharply divided over President Donald Trump’s policies. Midterms are often a report card on a president, and many Americans will want to give Trump a grade.
Also, some experts predict a “blue wave” of Democratic victories. Such an outcome could take one or both houses of Congress from the Republican Party, which now controls them. Voters may want to be a part of that wave—or a different one.
This cartoon addresses the effect the midterms could have on Congress, symbolized by the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Read the story, study this cartoon, then answer the questions.
1. Who do you think is speaking in the cartoon?
2. What symbol does the cartoon use for the people who will be voting in the midterm elections?
3. Two signs appear in the cartoon. What kind of signs are they, and how do they help you understand the cartoon?
4. How is the word landscape given both literal and symbolic meanings in this cartoon?
5. How might the idea of a changed landscape apply to Congress?