Katherine Twombly ‘30
News Editor
The midterm elections will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 3, allowing voters to elect members of Congress during the current presidential term. Recent approval ratings for the administration could influence the upcoming congressional elections, with Democrats potentially gaining seats in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Key states in this election include usual battlegrounds such as Michigan, but recent polling suggests that some traditionally Republican-leaning states, such as Texas and Maine, could be competitive this year. This data is according to recent polls, but it is often the case that many people, even if they have been deemed likely voters, do not show up to vote, especially in non-presidential elections.
Lack of voter turnout is a particularly large issue for young people, who often are not as informed about or engaged in political activities. However, recently there has been a large push from candidates to tailor much of their campaign towards enticing young voters to vote for them, and even just to show up to vote. Economic conditions and international developments may be among the factors influencing young voters. As a result of the greater focus on economic issues, a recent New York Times and Siena University poll had roughly 70% of likely midterm voters aged 18-29 leaning Democrat. Historically, midterm elections have sometimes resulted in the president’s party losing congressional seats, although outcomes vary by election..
In addition to the probable growth of interest in young voters nationally, there have been many events hosted at Holy Cross to promote voter awareness and participation. These events are becoming increasingly common, as the Holy Cross community is working hard to promote more civic participation and positive discourse. This desire to enhance civic responsibility is most clearly shown through the formation of the SPEECH Peer Educator group as well as HC Votes. These groups have helped spread awareness through numerous efforts such as emails to remind students of their opportunities to vote either in or out of state, and voter engagement tables that have been set up all across campus to communicate this information to students more directly and help answer any voting-related questions they may have.
In order to vote in person for this election, students would need to go to their local town/city hall and vote there any time between now and Nov. 3, as early voting has already started. However, if they live out of state and are unable to cast their ballot in person, they would need to reach out to their town hall through email or phone in order to request an absentee ballot. This would then be sent to the address of their choosing (likely Holy Cross itself), and they would mail it back to the town hall after filling it out. As long as a ballot arrives by the time the polls close (8:00 PM in Massachusetts), the vote will be counted towards the election.
Even if a student is not a resident of Massachusetts, as long as they are a United States citizen, they are able to register to vote in the state of Massachusetts and would be eligible to vote in Worcester. This could be a useful alternative to voting in their home state if the time necessary to receive and return their ballot before election day is not enough. Whichever way works best for students in the community, the most important thing in any election is the participation of the governed to elect officials that are representative of their constituents.
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