When people think of United States elections, they usually think of the Presidential election, which takes place every four years. But just as important are the Congressional elections, which happen every two years, including this November. While you might think that since it’s just a midterm, it does not matter whether you vote or not, midterm elections are vital to keep our democracy running as originally intended.
In the legislative branch, which is responsible for making laws and which includes the Senate and the House of Representatives, senators are up for reelection every six years, while representatives are elected every two years. Right now, both the House and the Senate are controlled by the Republican party, which has a majority in both chambers of Congress. A congressional majority means that the party in power can pass all the bills it wants without too much trouble, while the party with the minority struggles to get enough support for its bills. Members of Congress who are up for reelection are typically more likely to win than their challengers, so if only a few people vote, those in office stay in office and nothing changes. That’s why it’s important for US citizens to exercise their right to vote. If everyone who thought their vote wouldn’t make a difference voted anyway, we would probably see quite the change.
So how do you vote, anyway? The first step is to see if you’re eligible, and if you are eligible, to register to vote. You can do both of those at https://www.vote.org. Different states have different rules about voting and registering to vote, including different deadlines to register, so be sure to do that as soon as possible (some require you to register by 30 days before the election, which is November 6, so get registered this week to be on the safe side).
The second step is to figure out how you’re going to get to the polls. If you’re registered in Williamstown, you can probably just walk, but if you’re registered at home, especially if home is in a different state, you should probably vote by mail instead. You can request your absentee ballot online at https://www.vote.org as well, but be sure to do it promptly, since it’s called snail mail for a reason, and it would suck to have your vote not counted because it arrived late. If you’re voting by mail, you can get stamps at the post office, as well as most banks and grocery stores, or online at https://store.usps.com/store/results/stamps/_/N-9y93lv?_requestid=1091224. If you don’t think you’ll use a lot of stamps after you’ve sent in your ballot, go in on a pack with a group of friends to cut costs.
If you are able, please vote in this year’s midterm election. It may seem like a hassle to get registered and set up for voting by mail, but it really doesn’t take a lot of time or effort, and it’s more than worth it. Don’t disenfranchise yourself–every vote counts, so make sure yours is one of them.