Midterm elections, on average, do not mean as much to the American people as presidential elections. The Pew Research Center found that 17% fewer people turned out to vote in the 2010 midterm election than they did for the 2012 presidential election.
That said, voter turnout has reached record highs for the past two midterm elections. FiveThirtyEight found a 49.4% voter turnout in 2018 and a 46.9% turnout in 2020. Monica Potts said a significant factor for the increase “the past few years has been an increased level of polarization.”
Why is voter turnout significant? One can go with the simple answer: you should exercise your constitutional privilege to vote in every election. A better explanation may be that exercising your right to vote, even in small elections, can significantly impact the future of this country.
NPR said these midterm elections have “678 out LGBTQ candidates – the most ever – on the general election ballot.” This record-breaking number shows Americans, especially those who are a part of the LGBTQ community, people fight to have that representation in government.
Zooey Zephyr, the first openly trans person in Montana’s legislature, said that electing LGBTQ people into office has to do with the need for representation after “300+ anti-LGBTQ pieces of legislation [were] introduced last year.” People who do not understand the community should not be responsible for deciding what they can do with their bodies.
Similarly, many states saw more moderate candidates elected during the midterms. Donald Trump’s “handpicked election-denying candidates underperformed horribly” against those who campaigned with a more centralized platform, said The Economist.
The midterm appears to foreshadow who might be on the ballot for 2024. The Atlantic said both parties need to learn the lesson this midterm shows and “pick a moderate candidate who can reach beyond the party’s base” to maximize the chances of winning the presentation election.
Donald Trump has announced his run as the 2024 presidential Republican candidate, but Ron DeSantis has yet to make that announcement. DeSantis said he has not made an announcement yet because “We just ran an election.” The midterm election “set the stage for a titanic struggle between Trump and DeSantis for the Republican nomination, said William A. Galston.
As for the Democratic nominee, it is still unclear whether President Joe Biden will run for reelection. NPR conducted polls that “show many Democrats are half-hearted about a Biden reelection bid,” but the possible control of the Senate and lack of a red wave in the midterms might alter their opinions.
The lack of the red wave and better-than-expected results for Democrats emphasizes that it is in the party’s best interest to choose a more moderate candidate for the 2024 ballot. A more moderate president “could usher in a less polarized and perilous era in American politics,” according to Yascha Mounk.
With key races still undecided, one must wonder what that might mean for Congress and policy decisions that may come into play with a divided House of Representatives and Senate. Foreign policy will be a significant factor coming into play with both U.S. policy against China and U.S. aid to Ukraine against Russia.
The Council on Foreign Relations said, “on the biggest foreign policy issues, there are far more similarities than differences between congressional decision-makers in the two parties.” While there are important foreign policy issues at hand, hopefully, Americans can look towards Congress for unity in making decisions best for the country.
Voters want to put people in office who will make the best decisions for them, resulting in many Democrats winning in favor of abortion rights in states where Roe v. Wade is a central issue. With divisive issues on the ballot, voters under 30 had “the second highest” turnout “in three decades, outpaced only by 2018, said NPR.
It may be due to social media, the issues on the ballot, or something else entirely, but voters went out to the polls, using their votes to make a difference in the 2022 midterm elections. They set a precedent for 2024, and now we must wait and see what will come over the next few months.
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