Introduction

The Constitution of the United States directs that the American electorate choose a president every four years; a House of Representatives every two years; and one-third of the Senate every two years. In 1996, U.S. political leaders and voters complied with this mandate, as the electorate chose a president for the fifty-third time and also elected the members of the 105th Congress. The Clinton presidency, along with the 106th Congress elected in the 1998 midterm election, will complete 212 years of governance under the Constitution of the United States.