By Kelsey Reichman
Staff Writer
Voting day is getting closer and now is the time to get informed and prepared.
The midterm elections occur every four years, with this year’s taking place on Nov. 6. This election will determine the seats for the entire House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate.
These seats are important because the House and Senate serve as the checks and balances of the sitting president.
“Anyone who is upset about our current politics should pay attention,” said Annie Whetmore, associate professor of political science at California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Elected officials in our government have the power to make a change in policies for the people they govern. The midterm elections are the last chance the American public has in changing their government officials, and, in turn, the policies they institute.
“No matter what you care about, it’s up for grabs,” said Salvatore Russo, an assistant professor of political science at CSUDH.
The primaries leading up to this year’s midterms have shown record amounts of diversity. This is in part because of the most recent grassroots movements by Bernie Sanders. The New York Times reported that a total of 476 women are candidates for the House of Representatives this year. A transgender woman in Vermont, an African-American man in Florida, a Muslim woman in Minnesota, and an African-American woman in Connecticut all won victories for the Democrats in the primaries.
However, young people are notorious for not voting. NPR reported that millennials only made up 19 percent of the electorate in the 2012 elections and only 46 percent of eligible millennials voted in the last election.
“If you want to see change you need to be active. You’ve got to stand up and do something,” Whetmore said.
Russo recommends paying attention to races at state and local levels. However, the first step students need to take when voting is becoming informed. Researching issues affecting them, as well as candidates who want to solve those issues will help students make educated choices on who they want making policy choices for them.
“[Political] parties are a shortcut for knowing what policy choices will be,” Whetmore said.
Finding accurate information can be challenging. Whetmore recommends avoiding social media when locating news on politics and sticking to more respected publications such as Reuters and NPR.
“Both parties are kind of split in half right now, but that does not mean that policy choices are not clear. They are more clear than ever,” Whetmore said.
In California, you must register to vote online or by mail before Oct. 22. You have to be a registered voter in order to cast your ballot in November. When casting your vote in November, you will go to your local polling place, which is listed on the back page of the Voter Information Guide.
You can also cast your vote by mail. Voters must request a vote-by-mail ballot no later than Oct. 30.
