Here's why turnout matters on November 3.

Whether it's war powers or domestic or foreign policy, Congress can stop a president from doing foolish things by overriding vetoes of legislation passed by both houses. Start by assuming that Congress adopts or updates a law, and the President vetoes (refuses to sign) it. Override requires two-thirds of members voting, with a quorum (legal minimum number of members) present.

With exactly a bare quorum present and all present members casting a yes-or-no vote, the veto-override thresholds would be 146 votes in the House among 218 present and 34 votes in the Senate among 51 members present.

This assumes all members present vote. If some members present do not cast a yes-or-no vote, the two-thirds denominator is the number actually voting, although a quorum must still be present.

Over the next two years, we can expect with a high level of confidence that there will be a cascade of attempts to undo the Constitution's separation of powers. Such issues as war powers and social programs (in all their manifestations, like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP, public health...) will be put to the test. The issue is not just the current administration; it is the potential for a future president who is at once wily and truly evil and not merely underprepared and incompetent to seize absolute power.

If nothing else, the possibility of a vote to override (or even to impeach) would surely prevent one pa(R)ticula(R) pa(R)ty from employing its trick of declaring a recess and absconding from Washington. DC, as we saw this summer and fall. At the very least every member present would be forced to declare a position, and those not present or not voting would stand out like so(R)e thumbs. :-)

(Voting rules, thresholds, etc., AI sourced from congressional publications.)