As America experienced one of the most heightened election years in United States history, what many hoped was coming to an end on November 3, 2020, would be prolonged to January 5, 2021. And as the date quickly approached, it was becoming evident that the runoff elections in Georgia would decide America’s fate for years to come. 

Throughout the days following November, many Americans were quickly turning to Georgia. Democrats had won the White House, and maintained control of the House of Representatives, leaving the Senate as the last line of defense for Republicans and the only hope for Democrats to pass many of their policies. Consequently, with Georgia holding the only two Senate elections left, the races quickly jumped to the priorities of many with the fact that it would decide which political party would control the Senate. 

In America, legislation – including tax cuts and health care bills – all must go through a process before they become law. A bill will start in either the House of Representatives or Senate, where individuals or groups of elected officials propose the legislation. Once a majority votes in favor of the bill, it then goes to the other chamber to vote. Finally, after debates and alterations, once the bill is voted on and passed by both the House and Senate, it goes to the president’s desk. Once the president signs, it officially becomes a law. Simple in understanding, the process often becomes elongated and strenuous with party differences. 

When one party has control of the house, meaning the majority of house members are affiliated with that party, and the opposite has control of the Senate, it is often a struggle for anything to get passed. Though a bill might quickly obtain a majority vote in the house, it will usually be blocked by the Senate, with the opposite party majority. Because of this, it puts all the more attention towards the Georgia races. With Democrats already having control of the House and presidency, the only issue they could run into is the Senate. If just one Republican senator were to win from Georgia, it would allow Republicans to block any progressive initiative that is unwanted by many Republicans.

Fortunately for Democrats, on January 5, Georgia elected both Democratic nominees, John Ossof and Reverend Warnock. As mentioned, this gives Democrats full control over the passing of legislation. Proposals like Biden’s tax plan, statehood for Puerto Rico, and statehood for the  District of Columbia all have a much higher likelihood of passing due to Democratic control. However, all hope is not lost for Republicans.. One protection is that the Democrats’ majority in both the House and Senate is razor-thin. One vote in the Senate could completely eradicate any hope of certain legislation being passed. And as some moderate Democratic Senators have stated, like Joe Manchin of West Virginia, they will not be so willing to vote for every Democratic proposal. Moreover, the Republicans still have reasonably significant control over the courts. With a 6-3 majority on the Supreme Court, if any law were to be passed unconstitutional, it would be likely to be voted down by the Supreme Court. 

Even with such roadblocks, Democratic victories in Georgia are still extremely significant. Legislation that will affect many for decades to come has a much more likelihood of being passed, and only time will tell.