2006 Midterm Elections for Dummies!

Interested in voting but not sure where to start? Unsatisfied by the state of the federal government but you don't know if your elected officials are part of the problem or the solution? No need to worry: Here's a three step guide to next month's midterm elections!

1. Take a look at who's currently up for reelection in your home state.

Representatives: Complete list of 2006 House races
Senators: Complete list of 2006 Senate races

2. Check out how they voted on the Military Commissions Act of 2006 (S. 3930) below.

House roll call (by state):
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2006-508
Senate roll call (by state):
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=s2006-259

Why the Military Comissions Act matters: This act is the most blatant attempt to undermine the Constitution by the administration to date. The act sets out to, among other things, strip non-citizens given the label of "enemy combatant" of their right to habeas corpus (the ability to learn of the reasoning behind and question the legality of one's detainment). Furthermore, the term "enemy combatant" is purposely left undefined as to leave the administration with the ultimate power to determine who will be held.

Amnesty International describes this as Congress giving the "green light to human rights violations." The executive director of the ACLU states that "the president can now, with the approval of Congress, indefinitely hold people without charge, take away protections against horrific abuse, put people on trial based on hearsay evidence, authorize trials that can sentence people to death based on testimony literally beaten out of witnesses, and slam shut the courthouse door for habeas petitions."

Read up on the act here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.3930

3. If they voted against the act, vote the incumbent back in. If they voted for the act, throw them out and vote for the leading challenger.

Indeed, this is an incredibly simplistic take on the races. There are many other issues out there that should be factored in before making an informed vote. The majority, however, do not have the time to stay on top of current events. For many of those out of the loop, this serves as better basis for voting than sticking with the party line.

Every elected official is made to swear an oath of office. This oath does not, in any way, state that their sworn duty is to protect the nation's citizens, support the troops, or administer justice. No, their very basic duty is to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic."

This November, it's time for the people to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions.