Senate Approval Ratings and Analysis


Senate Approval Ratings and Analysis
Written by Festavo
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(Europeia, February 8 2018) - Once again we are nearing the close of yet another Senate term and the election for the next crop of Senators is gearing up. Standing for the election is opening soon and election day won't be far behind.

With candidates surely getting to work on their campaigns, the question of which incumbents will run and which candidates will win is now being pondered by minds throughout the region. Will we see any fresh faces in the race? Will we see incumbents step up to the plate to ask for another term? Only time will answer those questions, but I hope that this poll will help answer any questions about incumbent approval ratings and how the election could play out for them.

Senate Approval Ratings

Really there are only two people making this Senate not be awful in totality.
With a 73 percent approval rating, the Senate is more popular than was expected. 19.2 percent of respondents disapprove of the current Senate while 7.7 percent have a neutral opinion. The results are interesting because a recurring theme throughout the poll and and a sentiment expressed in public by several citizens in recent times is that the Senate is doing a lackluster job or is less active than is ideal.

Only one individual left a comment on this question and it is safe to say that they are not enthusiastic about the performance of 3 out of the 5 Senators. The percieved inactivity or ineffectiveness of the Senate as a whole this past term (at least among a vocal minority of citizens) will certainly be an issue during the coming election and it could hint at incumbents having a difficult time retaining their seats.


Grav is making sure the trains run on time. That may be what some people want from a Speaker, but I would rather see a leader who can hold his own.
Lacklustre but there weren't many other choices. The speaker should have resigned when MD was elected and offered the position to him.

While GraV has been rather slow at first, he has certainly improved over the semester and is now leading the Senate more.
Speaker GraVandius is serving his first term as Speaker and received a 69.5 percent approval rating. 26.9 percent of respondents do not approve of his performance this term and 3.8 percent hold a neutral opinion. The Speaker holds a lower approval rating than the Senate as a whole, but has the second highest approval rating out of the individual Senators.

3 individuals left comments on GraVandius' job performance and none of them seemed to strongly approve of his tenure while also not strondly disapproving of him. One commenter believes that the Speaker has "certainly improved" later in the term, but all of the commenters seem to agree that his performance, at least early on, was "lackluster" or "slow". One commenter went so far as to say that he should have given up his position as Speaker in favor of Senator Moronist Decisions.


When 'He's participating' earns him an 'Approve' score, we need to have a serious talk about this Senate.
Did not think I would see the day where I would perceive Aex to be a positive addition to Senate. When he isn't preoccupied with positioning himself for higher office he actually cares about the region.
With a 69.2 percent approval rating, Senator Aexnidaral Seymour's rating is only a fraction of a percent lower than the Speaker's. 19.2 percent disapprove of his performance and 11.5 percent hold a neutral opinion. The Senator has served a partial term as he was elected in a by-election alongside Moronist Decision last month when Verteger and Malashaan resigned their seats.

Both commenters seem to approve of his performance, but one of the commenters is clearly disappointed by the activity level of the Senate and believes that the region should have a "serious talk about this Senate." Calling him a "positive addition", the other commenter complimented the Senator and WA Delegate, but seemed surprised or reluctant to do so. Their begrudging compliment that he "actually cares about the region" was accompanied by a belief that he frequently gets caught up in positioning himself for higher office.


A lot of the heavy lifting is done by MD.
The best addition to senate
With an 88.5 percent approval rating, Senator Moronist Decisions earned the highest approval rating of the individual Senators by far. Only 7.6 percent of respondents disapprove of his performance and 3.8 percent hold a neutral opinion. Elected in the by-election alongside Aexnidaral Seymour, he has served only a partial term. Despite this, respondents hold an exceptionally positive view of the Senator and his performance in the time he has been given.

One commenter called Moronist Decisions "the best addition to the Senate" and another observed that "a lot of the heavy lifting" is done by the Senator. Though only two people commented, it is clear that this Senator will be going into the coming election with an advantage should he decide to seek another consecutive term.


Oh, I guess Vac is a Senator, huh?
We need to jettison him.
Borderline inactive
With only a 46.2 percent approval rating, Senator Vac is in the negative but not the worst position going into the election if he decides to run. 23.1 percent of respondents disapprove of his performance and 30.8 percent hold a neutral opinion. Serving his first full term in the Senate, Vac is plagued with the highest neutral numbers of all the Senators.

The three commenters do not approve of the Senator's performance. Two of the commenters take issue with Vac's low profile and "borderline inactivity" this past term. Striking a more hostile tone, the third commenter suggests that we "jettison" Vac. Though mor epeople approve of him than disapprove, Vac's percieved lack of involvement this past term has hurt him and many hold a neutral opinion of him. These results could spell trouble for him going into the election.


Did NOTHING substantive. Truly only voted and rarely contributed to discussion (and if he contributed, it did little to progress discussion).
Vlaska is a Senator?
Barely active. The only ongoing discussion is on the criminal code and he's posted less than people who aren't even in the Senate (0 times, folks). He should have been removed, frankly.
Not very active.
Disappointing but not tragic. I am not sure what happened to Vlaska this term but he fizzled.
Appears inactive.
With a meager 26.9 percent approval rating, Vlaska is by far the least popular of all the Senators. 50 percent of respondents disapprove of his performance and 23.1 percent hold a neutral opinion. With a disapproval rating nearly double the size of his approval rating, Vlaska is the most vulnerable incumbent if polling proves accurate.

None of the commenters seem to approve of the Senator's performance and all of them criticize his inactivity during the term. One commenter said that he "did NOTHING substantive" during his tenure and only voted, another is disappointed that Vlaska "fizzled", and one commenter even goes so far as to say that "he should have been removed". Coming off of a popular term as Citizens' Assembly Chair, Vlaska was elected to the Senate perceived as a rising star by some. Judging by these poll results, this star has stopped shining so bright in the eyes of the public. Senator Vlaska is highly likely to be an underdog if he runs this election and would have to face some tough questions.

Election Speculation

UV, Airbus
People who do things and understand laws.
Aex, MD, Vac, Fest, GraV, Darc, Drecq, Mal, Airbus, WL, Calvin, Prim, Punchwood. NOT VLASKA. Also not Oak.
UV, Airbus.
PhDre
Airbus
Darcness, Sopo, Alan Lee, Aex, GraV
Drecq, HEM
Ur mum
Lethen
There are a lot of names mentioned as potential candidates. Vlaska is the only incumbent who wasn't suggested to run, but one person explicitly stated that they do not want him to run. Prominent names mentioned range from rising stars like Airbus and Comrade Prim to regional veterans like HEM and Drecq with many in between. Despite not holding citizenship here, it appears my mother was also floated as a candidate by one respondent. Likely a joke, she would be flattered anyway.
That wraps up the poll results and analysis. With 3 senators in the green and 2 in the red, it will be interesting to see which incumbents run and which end up losing. This election has the potential to see some fresh faces manage a win over potentially weak incumbents, but anybody's guess is as good as mine so early in the race. The only thing that is certain is that voters will be hoping to elect an active and productive Senate as they always hope. Whether or not the next Senate excels where this one struggled is a story for another day.
 
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Wonderful Survey and Article, Fest! I love infographics!

Eager to see the next batch of Senate hopefuls -
:cheers:
 
I am very much puzzled by two of the comments on my section.

While GraV has been rather slow at first, he has certainly improved over the semester and is now leading the Senate more.
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How was I in any way slow at the beginning of the term? The *same* day I was elected speaker I brought the WA reforms to the floor and immediately began discussing my issues with the bill and with the help of my fellow Senators and WA leaders we quickly worked through the bills. Additionally, myself and Mal essentially finished the Legal Documents Act from the previous term within days of the Speaker Election. We also finished the Alternate Prosecutor Amendment (2017). I don't understand how doing all that within a few weeks was "slow".

Lacklustre but there weren't many other choices. The speaker should have resigned when MD was elected and offered the position to him.
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I really just don't understand why that would be advisable or why someone would suggest that I should have done that.


Also I find it odd that all the comments are negative despite a clear majority expressing positive views in the poll itself.
 
Good poll. I would have to say that I side with those who believe that our work was lackluster. Speaking for myself, I believe that I have not performed as well as I hoped to as a Senator.
 
I'd vote for 'ur mom'
 
Lacklustre but there weren't many other choices. The speaker should have resigned when MD was elected and offered the position to him.
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This might actually be the stupidest comment ever submitted on any of these things.
 
A fascinating and well-written breakdown. As pointed out by others, some comments are downright nonsensical, especially in regards to the actual numbers.
 
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