The Midterm Elections Are Coming: Here’s Why You Should Care

The 2018 elections have the potential to shape America’s future

Lily Ghiz
The Herald
3 min readNov 5, 2018

--

By Lily Ghiz and Zoey Reade

Courtesy of Creative Commons

An Overview

What are the Midterm Elections?

The midterms are elections held every four years, near the midpoint of a president’s four-year term. States hold midterms for governor and state legislatures. They give citizens the opportunity to vote for their parties. In order for a party to be in control of Congress, 51 seats are needed for Senate and 218 in the House of Representatives.

Why are the 2018 Midterm Elections important?

  • Democrats want to use the Midterms as a chance to regain the majority in Congress, while Republicans are fighting to hold onto it.
  • The outcome of these elections will help shape what the Trump Administration will be able to do or not do.
  • Whichever party has control of Congress will make or break the president’s agenda, such as policy change and Supreme Court nominees.

Why should you vote?

This year’s midterm election could be the one to make-or-break Trump and his administration’s agenda. As the Democratic Party fights for control of Congress, the Republicans fight to keep the power. This could be detrimental for Trump and his Supreme Court nominee proposals. Without the support of Congress, Trump’s nominees most likely won’t make it.

The question you want to ask is: “What party do I want in control of Congress?” Luckily, you can voice your opinion. That’s why we vote. These midterms could determine what will happen over the course of these next few years.

On the National Level

Who has the majority right now in Congress?

  • Republicans have the majority in the House of Representatives with 235 seats. Democrats hold 193 seats and there are seven vacancies.
  • Republicans also hold the majority in the Senate with 51 seats; Democrats hold 49 seats.

What’s going to happen?

As far as predictions go on a national level, all that can really be predicted is that the fight for Congress majority will be close and tough. “With the 2018 midterm elections just two weeks away, it appears neither Democrats nor Republicans have much reason to breathe easy,” Emily Stewart wrote in an article published by Vox, an American news and opinion website.

On the State Level

Voting will take place Nov. 6th at City Hall here in Buena Vista. If you are registered to vote in Virginia, here are the candidates that will appear on the ballot:

Virginia

  • The current Senator Tim Kaine (D) faces Corey Stewart (R) and Matt Watters (L) in the 2018 Senate election race.
A few of the issues for each candidate.
  • Buena Vista is located in Virginia’s 6th Congressional District. The candidates for the elections for the House of Representatives are Ben Cline (R) and Jennifer Lewis (D).
A few of the issues for each candidate

If you are not registered to vote in Virginia, no worries. It’s not too late to apply online for an absentee ballot for the state you are registered in. After you apply you will be sent a ballot, which you can then fill out. Some states like Utah even allow same-day voter registration. You can find information about candidates in your area online, via your state’s department of elections website.

--

--