Lately there has been a lot of talk about the upcoming midterm elections. Constant ads encouraging voting and registration have been all over every news station and social media platform. The United States as a whole is tremendously divided. Since the 2016 election when Donald Trump was elected President, our country has only become more separated over controversial issues such as women’s rights, trade, immigration, LGBTQIA+ rights and so on. Many people will be severely affected by the policies Trump and his administration propose around these controversial issues, making it more important than ever to let your position be known by voting.
1. A Step Towards Getting Trump Out of Office
For Democrats, especially the ones outraged by Trump and his policies, the 2018 midterm election is a first step to getting him out of office. Over his last two years as President, Trump and his team have been a part of numerous scandals, one of which is an accusation that he rigged the 2016 election. As of late, Trump and his administration have not been brought to trial due to the House and Senate being run by the Republican majority. This midterm is a substantial way of changing that dynamic by voting in more Democrat representatives so some of those investigations on Trump and his administration may see a court.
2. New Blood For New Rules
In this midterm election, all 435 of the U.S. House of Representatives seats are up for grabs and 35 out of the 100 seats in the Senate are available. There are also a record number of female candidates running for governor, Senate and House of Representatives. These elections could break more records such as the first black woman to serve as governor, the first openly bisexual senator, youngest woman in Congress, first Native American woman in Congress, among many others. This surge of diversity in candidates allows for a variety of perspectives to be heard when it comes to considering new legislation or rewriting old ones.
3. Changes in Policies
The representatives elected in the 2018 midterm election will determine the outcome of Roe v. Wade, the expansion of health care and other statewide issues. Continually, these elected representatives will determine the redrawing of congressional districts to offset gerrymandering (manipulating the boundaries of an electoral district to give one political party an advantage over another). The representatives chosen in this election will have a tremendous impact on the future of the United States, from policies to outcomes of future elections, for decades to come. These future representatives should represent their constituents’ values rather than the ideals of a select few.
4. Because Your Vote Matters
The past two years have seen many disgruntled U.S. citizens from recurring jokes about moving to Canada to a swell of activism around a variety of social issues. This November is a chance for all of those disgruntled citizens to let their voices be heard and make a political change. Voting gives them a chance to make a change in the political climate and see the policies that they want implemented.