Repeal the 17th Amendment to Emphasize Local Political Decisions

The 17th Amendment destroyed the link in America’s federalist system. As it stands, the states and the federal government operate in parallel. There’s no meaningful interaction between the two.

Public commenters frequently bemoan America’s chronic low voter participation rate. There are some valid points to their criticism: the average voter participates in general presidential elections, but is less likely to participate in primaries or midterms and is even less likely to participate in special elections. (53.4% of eligible voters participated in the 2018 midterms, a figure notable because participation rose for the first time in recorded history all demographic categories. By contrast, roughly 60% of eligible voters participated in the 2016 general election, a number that is lower than normal.) But midterms, to some extent, and primaries, to a much greater extent, shape general presidential elections.

Presidential elections are shaped by the political topography shaped by the years intervening elections. The rhetoric of a minority party is different than that of a majority party. Majority parties have the advantage in the policy war: it’s easier to lay claim to major policy victories and their positive downstream effects. Minority parties arguably have the advantage in the rhetoric war: the emotional…