This Tuesday, Nov. 6 marks 2018’s Midterm Election Day – and it’s a big one. This election is our first chance since the presidential election of 2016, to make our voices heard in the polls and to assure that the political climate of the United States is headed in the right direction.
As a busy college student, you might not be an expert in the realm of political elections, but VALLEY has pulled together everything you need to know to simplify this Midterm Election Day and to help make your vote count.
Know What They Are
Midterms are the elections that are held halfway between presidential elections. In this year’s election, voters will elect 35 out of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate and each of the 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives. In other words, the midterm elections decide which political party will have control over the two chambers of Congress for the next two years.
With the country today seeming to be torn between support for and opposition towards President Trump, this year’s midterms hold a lot more influence than those of previous years. This outcome of these elections will decide whether or not Trump’s power is reduced with a Democratic victory or encouraged with a Republican win.
Know Who to Vote For
Before heading out to the polls on Tuesday, it’s important to spend a little time looking into each of the candidates running — this way you’ll be able to confidently vote for the candidates who politically stand most for what you believe in, and can avoid any spur of the moment, ill-advised bubbling.
For every student who is registered to vote in State College, you’ll be filling out the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Centre County ballot. This year’s Pennsylvania ballot consists of candidates running for United States Senator, Governor and Lieutenant Governor, Representative in Congress (12th Congressional), Senator in the General Assembly (34th Senatorial) and Representative in the General Assembly (77th Legislative).
Check out this 2018 Voter’s Guide from PennLive to review each of this midterm’s candidates.
Know Where to Vote
Polls open early at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. – leaving plenty of time to work in a spot at the ballots in between class. The majority of main campus PSU students who registered to vote using their on-campus housing address will submit their ballot at the HUB-Robeson Center. Everyone who registered with the address of off-campus housing might be voting in different locations around State College, and can find their polling location with this link.
In a time for the United States that’s as politically rocky as today, VALLEY can’t stress enough how important it is to take only a few minutes of your day to get out to polls and cast your vote. Whether you’re a member of the Democratic or Republican party, and whatever your opinions may be when it comes to the current state of the United State’s presidency, your voice and your vote have every right to be heard. So get out on Tuesday, flex all of those constitutional rights and vote!
See you at the polls!
