The midterm elections are separated by the primary election on June 5, 2018 and the general election on Nov. 6, 2018. The primary election is used as a way to narrow down the candidates for the general election.
As hostility arises between the two parties in the United States, citizens are heavily relying on midterm elections to gain either Republican or Democrat favor in Congress. Midterm elections allow citizens to elect 435 new representatives for the U.S. House of Representatives after the end of the previous two-year term. Senators who have completed their six-year term are also up for reelection; this year that includes about one-third of them.
Midterm elections actually have more impact than one may think. With new people in Congress, the balance of one party has the potential to drastically shift, causing new laws to pass even if they did not have the chance before.
This hope has become more prevalent among democrats due to the fact that they are numerically overpowered by Republicans in Congress. The recent shootings have inspired students to either register or pre-register for the midterm election.
“The pressure is on for every person in power, and it will stay that way because they know what is coming,” said Delaney Tarr, a Parkland shooting survivor at a March For Our Lives rally in Washington D.C. “If they continue to ignore us, to only pretend to listen, then we will take action where it counts. We will take action every day, in every way, until they simply cannot ignore us anymore.”
In California, all 53 of California’s seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and one Californian senator seat in the U.S. Senate are up for vote.
Although all 53 representative seats are up for re-election, only a few are considered competitive. Westlake Village is in the 26th congressional district, which has one representative, Julia Brownley.
Including Brownley, there are currently four candidates for the 26th congressional district. Two of the candidates, Brownley and John Nelson, identify as Democrats, and the other two, Jeffrey Burum and Antonio Sabato Jr., identify as Republicans, according to Ballotpedia.
For the U.S. Senate, Dianne Feinstein’s term is up, and she declared she is running for reelection on Oct. 9, 2017 through a tweet.
“I am running for re-election to the Senate. Lots more to do: ending gun violence, combating climate change, access to healthcare. I’m all in!” tweeted Feinstein.
There are 33 candidates that declared they are running against Feinstein; however, some are more competitive than others. Kevin de León, recent State Senate President pro tempore and Democrat, is known to be a candidate that stands a strong chance against Feinstein.
The midterm elections are not as popular as the presidential election even though the midterms still have a major impact over policy.
“In recent elections, about sixty percent of the voting eligible population votes during presidential election years, and about forty percent votes during midterm elections,” according to Fairvote.
The U.S. population of the 18-44 year old age group is significantly higher than the older age groups, according to the United States Census Bureau. However, the older age groups have a much higher voting percentage despite their lower population.
Voting is a way to practice democracy in our country, so it is essential for people to vote and express their voice in order for Congress to accurately represent the people of the United States.
