Navigating the Upcoming Midterm Elections/The Power of the Vote:

By: Madeleine Burke

On Tuesday November 8, the 2022 midterm elections will be held in Washington D.C. The midterms are some of the most critical elections of the year as they decide which members of the house will serve for the next 2 years. Every seat in the house along with 35 senate seats will be decided in this year's midterms.

In terms of the senate general election in Ohio, the two are Tim Ryan for the Democratic party and J.D Vance for the Republican party. Voters in Ohio will also select 15 candidates to serve in the U.S House of Representatives.

However, in the case of Joe Biden’s presidency those who are elected have a heavy influence on Joe Biden’s agenda. For this years midterms, topics such as Abortion rights, President Bidens future, and even the future of American democracy are at stake. In June, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade which blocked one’s constituitonal right to recieve an abortion. In response, Biden has attempted to use his executive power to restore this right, but as the midterms approach certain power shifts in the house would prevent Biden’s efforts from regaining this right. Those elected in the midterms will be directly effecting laws, such as abortion, per state, and many are already opposing the right. The right to an abortion is just the surface, the right to a contraceptive or birth control is also put at risk during elections this year. As crucial rights and especially at risk during this election, it’s more necessary than ever to spread the word and go out and vote this year.

With the economy currently facing high levels of inflation, those elected in the midterms will be the ones to determine the solution to this problem. Although Biden’s party hoped to be able to cut these rises before the elections, prices of inflation rose unexpectedly putting Biden and the Democratic party at risk for the elections. Biden has put in an effort to curb the rising inflation, but there is much more work to be done. However, inflation rises could come at a risk to the Democratic party gaining power in Congress.

Gun policy, especially in terms of a school setting, is yet another taxing issue whose fate could possibly be decided with the upcoming midterm election. The elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas seemed to wake up a majority of America to the issue of gun policy. The Democratic party has fought for stricter gun policy in response, while the Republican party continues to put emphasis on concerns with a rise in crime in cities. Biden has stated, “there is no need for assault-style weapons outside of a war zone.” Nonetheless, Republicans continue to push the belief that access to a weapon for protection is a human right protected by the constitution.

With these issues and more at stake with the 2022 midterm elections, rallying others and even yourself to go out and vote is essential. While different parties campaign to gain power in different areas of D.C, it comes down to the people and the voters to decide who gains that dominance. Now more than ever, we ought to be educating ourselves with how much is at stake in the elections. Access to an abortion, gun policies, and inflation policy are only three of the multiple issues being determined by these elections. However, the voter has the power to determine the outcome of these issues.