CNN News:美国参众两院改选 结果同样重要

Today we're having a look at what else Americans are voting for and how things stand going into that vote. We'll start with the U.S. House of Representatives. Congressmen and women serve terms that last two years. The last election, the mid-term election was in 2018. So that means that all 435 voting seats are up for grabs.
Currently the House is controlled by members of the Democratic party. They hold the majority of 232 seats. Members of the Republican party hold 197 seats. One member of the House is a Libertarian. And there are five vacancies from seats that became available this year but haven't been filled yet. In the other chamber, the U.S. Senate, members serve terms that last six years. This time around 35 voting seats, a little more than a third of them are up for grabs. Currently the Senate is controlled by Republicans who have 53 seats. Democrats have 45 seats. And two Independents who vote with the Democrats have two seats.

While a lot of the focus is on the candidates for the Executive Branch, what happens with the Congressional elections can determine how easy or difficult it is for presidents to enact the policies they push for on the campaign trail. And the vote just isn't just about the Executive and Legislature. There are a number of state and local elections taking place on November 3rd as well as dozens of ballot measures, laws or issues that voters are allowed to decide directly. So a lot about the nation, its states and its communities can be decided when Americans go to the polls.