• While casting your vote, it’s important to keep geography and term lengths in mind when considering what could reasonably be accomplished by elected officials.
• Federalism plays a big role in what each elected office can do.
• A mix of urgency and deliberation is good for effective policy.

Many candidates across Utah and the country will spend the next few months touting just how much they respect the Constitution and plan to abide by it while in office.

As a voter, what does that mean to you? What are the constitutional roles of each major political office, and how should that influence your vote?

Both Utah and the federal government have a legislative branch, and though they may have similar responsibilities, they also maintain many different ones.

As we highlighted in our most recent civics refresher article, federalism plays a major role in the duties of each elected office.

When considering candidates for state House, Senate and governor, it’s important to understand the differences of each office in comparison with the U.S. House, Senate and president.

In a recent interview, Bill Duncan, Sutherland’s constitutional law and religious freedom fellow, said there are two important aspects to consider when casting a vote: geography and term length.

In terms of geography, Duncan highlighted the point of having a more direct representation – like in the state House or U.S. House – versus a larger district or state, like in the state Senate or U.S. Senate:

It’s meant to change their perception. What may be good for one neighborhood or town may cause harm to another. While the House is worried about benefiting their immediate neighbors, the Senate is concerned about creating a good for several towns in their district.

Term lengths, Duncan added, bring a sense of urgency or peace of mind in deliberation, depending on the office. The state House and U.S. House have two-year terms, while the state Senate has four-year terms, and the U.S. Senate has six-year terms.

“Longer terms give them a longer time horizon,” Duncan said. “Time horizons make the principle that allow [the Senate] to be more deliberative on an issue, while the House says ‘Hey, my neighbors need help right now.’”

When casting your vote, putting geography and term lengths in perspective can help you make a more informed decision. Understanding what issues are important to your town, district and state, while keeping term lengths in mind, is one way to determine what issues could realistically be addressed in a given way and time.

For a more in-depth perspective on this article, review our Insights article here.