On November 6th local time, this week, tens of millions of American voters will go to the polling station and cast their sacred and solemn vote.

On November 6th local time, that is, Tuesday in the United States this week, tens of millions of American voters will go to the polling station and cast their sacred and solemn vote. They are not electing the president, they are participating in the midterm elections, but the impact of this midterm election is almost as important as the presidential election. What is the big test that Trump is about to go through? You will know after reading this article.

What is the midterm election?

The presidential elections in the United States are held every four years, and the midterm elections are held every four years of presidential term. The so-called "middle term" comes from here. In the 2018 midterm elections, most members of the U.S. Congress will be re-elected, including all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 2,100 seats in the 50 states. In addition, 36 governors and judicial and executive departments in each state will also be re-elected. Currently, the Republican Party has 241 seats in the House of Representatives and 51 seats in the Senate, making it the majority party in both houses of Congress.

At present, 37 states in the United States have held early voting for the midterm elections with the District of Columbia. According to the US Elections Project, about 34.3 million voters have completed their votes ahead of schedule, with only 27.5 million in the 2014 midterm elections. The November 6 voting work will gradually end from 6 p.m. ET, and the last state to end the voting will be Alaska, where most polling stations will be closed at 12 p.m. ET.

What are the important issues in this midterm election?

According to a survey by CNN, medical insurance, economy and immigration are the three most concerned issues for voters this year. Just like the 2016 presidential election, immigration issues are an important factor in driving Republican voters’ votes, responding positively to Trump’s calls for a crackdown on immigration and building a wall on the Mexican border. On the economy, Trump has repeatedly warned that if the Democrats win the election, it will bring a catastrophic blow to the current healthy American economy. Most Democratic candidates avoid facing Trump directly on these issues, and instead focus on issues closer to life, such as health insurance, gun control and economic inequality. The Democrats hope Trump's strong rhetoric will help them win over young, suburban moderates and minority voters.

What might be the result of this election?

Many polls predict that Democrats are likely to retake the House of Representatives, but it should be unlikely to retake the Senate.

In this election, if the Democrats want to become a majority in the House of Representatives, they need to flip 24 seats; while in the Senate, they need to flip 2 seats. Although the Senate has much fewer seats to be flipped than the House of Representatives, the problem is that 26 of the 35 seats reelected in the Senate now belong to the Democratic Party and only 9 belong to the Republican Party. This means that if the Democrats want to regain the Senate, they not only cannot lose their current seat, but also must seize two more seats from the Republican Party on this basis. It’s not that it’s impossible, it’s just that the difficulty is quite big.

Since 1938, the ruling parties to which successive U.S. presidents have lost or reduced seats in the midterm elections, except in 1998 and 2002. The reason for this situation is that on the one hand, voters are unwilling to see the situation of "one-party dominance", so they will subconsciously make adjustments to balance the power of the two parties in the government; on the other hand, because they are at a disadvantage in power relations, voters in opposition parties have a stronger voting impulse than voters in the ruling party.

Will there be a historic moment in this election?

In this year's midterm elections, the number of female candidates broke the record, which also means that the number of female elected people may also set history. New records that may also be born include the first transgender governor, the first African-American governor, and so on.And one of the most noteworthy gubernatorial elections is Georgia - Democratic representative who participated in the election Stacey Abrams may become the first female African-American governor in American history.

What impact will this election have?

Since voters will change their voting goals in the midterm elections based on the president's performance in the past two years in office, the midterm elections can be regarded as the president's midterm exam. Trump's achievements in this midterm exam not only reflect the voters' evaluation of him, but more importantly, it will also have a huge impact on the last two years of his current term.

If the Republicans win both houses of Congress, then Trump will become more courageous and his attitude will become tougher. The threat and impact of the "Russia Gate" investigation on him will be greatly reduced. Trump and the Republican Party will push for more powerful issues they have always wanted to push: the wall at the border, the complete abolition of Obama's health care reform and the possible second tax cut. In addition, the Republican-controlled Senate may appoint more conservative judges, which may also become Trump's most important political legacy.

If the Democrats win both houses of Congress, it will be like a nightmare for Trump. The Democrats will make full use of the checks and balances of the US Constitution . The Democrat-controlled Senate could force Trump to nominate more centrist judges, and his “America supremacy” rule will also be hampered by Democrats.

If the Democrats win the House and the Republicans win the Senate, then the two parties will be in an awkward standoff, and Trump may find it difficult to see any major legislation be passed in the future.

For the international community, the results of the midterm elections will affect Trump's image in the international community. If the Republican Party has the upper hand, it means that Trump has a solid foundation in the United States, and he will be more determined to promote the "America First" policy in the international community, promote the reforms required by the United States to the EU and NATO, and strengthen his own trade protectionist policies. On the contrary, if the Democratic Party successfully counterattacks, Trump's domestic power will be restrained, and other world leaders will take the opportunity to suppress the United States.

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