This is an article from the Fall 2024 Civitas Examiner (Volume 1, No. 2) and was written by one of our students, Emily N. The opinions expressed herein do not reflect those of Civitas other than respect for the value of open dialogue. To read more Civitas Examiner stories or to submit your own, click here.
There are eight congressional districts in the state of Missouri, where each U.S. congressman or congresswoman represents, on average, 750,000 constituents. On the local level, state representatives represent around 37,000 constituents in the Missouri legislature.
Our politicians, especially on the local level, accomplish many important actions in the Missouri State Legislature, including tackling public issues, writing laws, and approving solutions and changes to problems, all of which revolve around representing their constituents including you.
While politics may be limited to being a forbidden topic at the Thanksgiving dinner table, it does impact you or someone you know or care about. The orange chicken and rice at lunch were allocated funds by our legislators. The bumpy roads on the way to school could be remedied by a bill proposed by your representative.
Over two million Missourians voted in 2024, not only for the president but also for the next governor, U.S. senators, U.S. representatives, state representatives, and state senators among other positions and amendments to the Missouri constitution.
The basis of democracy in the United States is voting, where we vote for people who are meant to represent us. But, do you know your representatives, senators, or governors who give you a voice in our government?
We asked the following questions to a handful of Liberty High School juniors and seniors, who should have taken the U.S. Citizenship test at least once in their mandatory government class:
- What is the supreme law of the land?
- Who is your U.S. senator?
- Who is your U.S representative?
- Who is your governor?
Another set of questions, listed below, were also asked:
- Can you name one U.S. senator?
- Can you name one U.S. representative?
- Can you name one governor?
According to Pew Research Center, 80% of Americans believe that elected officials don’t care what people like them think. The results of the study saw a large percentage increase from a similar study conducted in the early 2000s.
The study suggests that Americans lack trust in their officials, and feel like they have little influence in their local governments compared to “large employers in their district, lobbyists, and special interest groups, and wealthy donors”.
63% of Americans believe that politicians run in order to make money, and 85% of Americans believe that the cost of a political campaign is too expensive for “good people” to run.
Disconnection between voters and legislators, especially on the local level, is not a new feeling among Americans, specifically in polarized areas who vote primarily for one political party.
Often, the “R” or “D” by a candidate’s name can win them a vote, even if a voter doesn’t recognize the candidate’s name. Alongside fueling negligent voting, uninformed straight-ticket voting can lead to politicians not being held accountable and being less likely to emphasize the values of the community in the state legislature.
According to Open Secrets, MO-02 Representative Ann Wagner raised roughly $3.9 million dollars between 2023-2024. 43% of the funds came from large individual contributions, 40% came from political action committees, and 17% came from small individual contributions. Wagner spent around $2.2 million on her campaign between 2023-2024.
Comparatively, her opponent, Ray Hartmann raised only $662,247 and spent $432,279.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC in 2010, allowing unlimited spending by corporations or unions on political campaigns, the amount of money a political candidate has more often than not become essential to victory. With more money, now able to be raised unlimitedly by independent groups, such as super PACS who can suppose or oppose any candidate with these funds, comes more ads, staff, polling, signs, and ultimately voter outreach.
The ability to fundraise large amounts of money can help a candidate reach voters with signs and ads, even if the candidate themselves aren’t able to extend a handshake beyond a TV screen in the living room.
Absent politicians can ultimately lead to disconnection, where constituents don’t even know who they are voting for or who represents them, only catching glimpses of political ads or campaign signs every two years during the primary or general election.
Voters definitely need to be informed when they cast their ballots, but politicians need to be held accountable and earn votes by showing that they do indeed care about your community through ways other than yard signs and annoying adverts.
The question is not so much do you know your representative, but rather, does your representative know you?
