Midterm Elections. Every two years within the president’s four-year term, elections for Congress are held. This comprises two parts, the House of Representatives and Senate.
Congress makes nationwide laws. While the House decides which laws are voted on, Senate then can block or approve them.
Each state has two senators with six-year terms. Representatives serve two years. Representative seats are up for elections in November along with ⅓ of the Senate.
As midterm elections approach, who votes matters. Are college students voting?
Tech student Julia Schenk, a psychology major who will not be voting this midterm election, said, “I just don’t really care, but I think the vote matters.”
Gracie Henderson, a zoology major, stated, “I didn’t even know about the elections.”
Gabriella Vazquez agreed and stated, “I follow all the Tech social media accounts, and voting is never mentioned.” Both Henderson and Vasquez said they will not be voting in this election due to lack of exposure.
Many other students expressed that they felt their vote didn’t matter, with some even suggesting that the system is rigged and votes are already decided.
Midterm elections shape the progress made by the president currently in office. The Democratic Party has held the bulk of both the House and Senate for the past two years. This aids President Biden in passing the laws he wishes. However, the margin by which Democrats outweigh Republicans is rather thin, meaning this election could sway House and or Senate into the Republican hands.
Whoever controls the House and Senate not only help shape the remainder of Biden’s term but the political agenda and the 2024 presidential elections too.