The Midterm Elections: A Guide
Tuesday, November 8th, 2022: a day when millions of people in New York and across the country will leave their homes to cast their vote in our midterm elections. A day when the individual voices of our society will determine the composition of our government. Similar to the presidential election, it is a day when the United States’s long-standing democratic voting process takes place. On November 8th, the two-year terms of house representatives and the six-year terms of certain senators will be up, and it will once again be time to elect whom we would like to be representing us in the subsequent years. The midterm elections, which only take place during non-presidential election years, will commence.
This year, all of the 435 House seats and an additional 35 Senate seats are up for grabs. Currently, the Democratic Party holds a slim majority in both the House and the Senate. This election, voters will determine which party will have control of Congress for the next two years. Although, critical topics such as gun violence, climate change, and reproductive rights have become relevant in recent years, these issues have become increasingly significant during this election. Even though the majority of Riverdale students cannot vote, the issues being debated in this midterm election pertain to us and our futures.
So, if this election is so important, how should one follow it? Most notably, there are thousands of media outlets ready to inform the public about the goings-on of the midterm elections. From newspapers to cable news channels and talk shows, there are many media through which one can receive news. However, some are more reliable and impartial than others.
Tenth-grade dean Manisha Doran explains how she feels that not “a lot of sources are thorough and informative” but she tries her best to “find the ones that are.” Dean Doran cites sources like “CNN”, “Politico”, and “The New York Times” among others that she trusts to provide her with unbiased, fact-based news, especially about the local New York City elections. She also references “C-Span, which is great for” watching debates and congressional hearings”.
Additionally, Dr. Baker, a tenth and eleventh-grade history teacher, says that she generally does not “watch ‘tv news’,” but instead reads “The Washington Post pretty regularly.” Similar to Dean Doran, Dr. Baker also relies on The New York Times as one of her primary news sources, and feels “pretty confident in” both its and the Washington Post’s “reliability.” She has been using these sources to stay updated on the midterm races, particularly the ones taking place across the country.
These are all great resources for getting yourself “up to speed.” But what else? Is Riverdale sufficiently involved in providing us with relevant political news on important events like the midterm elections? According to Vedaant Srivastava, a grade representative for the class of 2025, Riverdale could be doing more to educate students about political issues in the country.
Vedaant keeps himself thoroughly informed by relying on “Reuters, The Associated Press, and Bloomberg [as his] three most trusted sources.” He explains that since these sources “are places where even news networks get their news from… there's almost never a partisan bias.” Vedaant hopes to see more neutral yet extensive teachings of “modern politics” in Riverdale’s history classrooms. Vedaant understands that even the most popular and well-trusted news sources can skew the truth. However, if we take a deeper look at the political foundations of our country and at how we study history, we can gain a much better understanding of current events “because, at the end of the day, a lot of politics stems from that”.
This election is an especially crucial one that will directly impact our government and democracy. So, turn on the news, pick up a paper, and stay up to date on the midterm elections! And remember, look out for the date: November 8!
