With so much at stake in this years midterm elections, your vote matters now more than ever. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 out of 100 Senate seats will be determined on November 6th. Millennials are quickly approaching baby boomers as the largest generation eligible to vote at this time which means we have the power to change the direction of Trump's remaining time in office.
Republicans currently hold a 235 to 193 advantage over Democrats in the House of Representatives and a 51 to 49 advantage in the Senate. Right now it seems like Republicans may remain control over the Senate. However, Democrats only need to flip 23 seats in the House to gain the majority. To put things into perspective, there are 25 districts currently represented by Republicans that voted blue in the 2016 election, giving an upper hand to Democrats.
The polls are stating that President Trump has the lowest approval rating at this point in his term than any other president since 1945. Historically, when a president has a low approval rating, they lose more seats to the opposing party during midterms. If the Republicans do remain in control, it means that they will move forward with pushing Trump's agenda which includes repealing the Affordable Care Act and funding the $25 billion wall on the Mexico border.
If Democrats are able to flip the House they will reopen investigations regarding the Russian interference in the 2016 election and would push for the release of the president's tax returns. In addition, they may also try to impeach Trump.
Millennial voter registration has skyrocketed this year; New Jersey has welcomed over 100,000 new voters leading up to the midterm elections, but of course, that doesn't necessarily mean everyone will turn out to vote. Even though millennials represent almost a third of all eligible voters, less than half of them actually show up to the polls whereas nearly 70% of baby boomers do.
Healthcare, immigration, climate change, gun control, and education are just some of the big things on the table for this election. While it's good to see young people talking about why these topics are important to them, the only way to see real change is to participate in our government and exercise the right to vote.
Voting is easier when you know what your options are. To find out what candidates are running in your congressional district, you can use this sample ballot tool. This will show you the House and Senate candidates and then you can research their campaigns and see who most similarly aligns with your views. Though no one can give a definite answer on who will win or lose at this point, the FiveThirtyEight project is posting updated forecasts for the races which can be viewed here. To find polling stations near you, enter the address you are registered to vote with here. For additional information on how to vote, contact your local election office which can be found using this directory.
