Why the 2022 Midterm Elections Matter — And Why Your Individual Vote Is Critical
Here's what's at stake -- and why your voice matters now more than ever.
If you read nothing else in this piece, know this: Midterm elections determine power in Congress.
Halfway through a president’s term, congressional midterm elections take place. They don’t occur during general election years. For perspective, the last midterm election took place in 2018, in the midst of Donald Trump’s 2nd term.
If you think your single vote won’t make an impact, check out this piece about close elections — detailing some of the closest races in history, many of which were decided based on a single vote.
Before explaining why the 2022 midterm elections matter, it’s critical to understand what Congress is.
Congress
Congress is made up of two chambers: the House of Representatives (435 members) and the Senate (100 members). Every state is represented in each chamber. Together, legislators in each chamber help to pass bills into law. If a bill isn’t approved in the House, it doesn’t reach the floor of the Senate for voting.
During the congressional midterm elections, winners are determined by popular vote, rather than the electoral college that determines the winner of presidential elections.
Which seats are at stake this midterm cycle? Every seat (435) in the House and one-third (34 seats) of the Senate.
The House of Representatives
According to Bloomberg Government, of the 435 House seats up for election, “The Cook Political Report rates 33 races as toss-ups – 23 of which are currently held by Democrats and 10 by Republicans. A shift of only five seats would transfer control of the chamber to Republicans.”
The Senate
This year, of the 34 Senate seats up for grabs, 14 Democrats are up for reelection. If Democrats hope to gain the majority in the Senate, they must maintain all of their current seats (48) plus win 3 more to gain the majority (51). Republicans currently hold the majority in the Senate with 50 seats. The two Independent Senators currently in the Senate caucus with the Democrats.
State Elections
According to Marilyn La Jeunesse in her updated article for TeenVogue.com, “On the state level, there will be 36 governorships and 30 state attorney general offices on ballots. Of the 36 governorships, 20 of them are currently occupied by Republicans. Although these state positions might seem less important than congressional seats, winning a majority in these areas would allow Democrats to pursue liberal legislation outside of Washington, D.C. In particular, they’re vitally important to the protection of abortion rights, especially as the Supreme Court weighs the reversal of Roe v. Wade in their current term.”
Why The 2022 Midterm Elections Are So Important
As La Jeunesse writes, midterm elections are important “because they provide voters with the opportunity to change the party in power. Fifty-one seats are required for a political party to have control in the Senate, while 218 are needed to achieve a majority in the House. There are currently 11,831 bills and resolutions before Congress. In the 117th Congress, there have been 309 bills and joint resolutions that have become laws with a Democratic majority.”
La Jeunesse also points out that, “As stated in the Constitution, Congress is a legislative body that has the authority to make laws. As a bill only becomes law with approval from both the House and the Senate, the political party with the majority in both chambers of Congress is more likely to have their legislation passed. This is especially important when it comes to bills that impact a lot of people, like those that would protect data privacy or secure voting rights.”
How Midterm Elections Shape a Post-Trump Political Landscape
I’ll quote Marilyn La Jeunesse here directly and extensively because she sums it all up perfectly:
“Historically, the president’s party often loses House seats during midterms. If this is the case, the GOP could find themselves back in control of the House, lending favor to the legislation they wish to proceed. A divided Congress, in which one party is in control of the House and another in the Senate would hinder legislation on hotly debated topics like immigration, healthcare, and more. It would also hinder efforts by Democratic lawmakers to push for accountability and investigation into the 2021 Capitol Riots, which led to more than 700 arrests and counting. But given the slim balance of power in the Senate, Democrats also risk a total wipeout, where they’d lose control of both chambers.
“Republicans have threatened to subject the Biden White House to investigations, should they win a majority during this midterm election, which could affect Biden’s 2024 campaign, should he follow through on his plans to run for reelection.
“Another important power within Congress is the ability to confirm a president’s Supreme Court nominee. The confirmation of both Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett by a Republican-controlled Senate speak to the importance of voting in midterm elections. Kavanaugh was confirmed despite facing allegations of sexual misconduct, and Barrett’s confirmation was rushed through just weeks before the 2020 election. That’s why it’s important for Democrats to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer well before the midterms. Breyer is one of just three progressive justices currently sitting on the bench, so replacing him will still leave conservatives with a 6-3 advantage. But it will prevent Republicans from confirming another conservative justice should they win control of the Senate in November.
“Given the conservative majority on the Supreme Court, which is deciding a case that could result in Roe v. Wade being overturned later this year, the gubernatorial elections are particularly important for protecting abortion rights at the state level. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, midterm elections are important for determining mask and vaccine mandates and state-of-emergency orders. While Biden has say over mandates for anything under the federal government’s jurisdiction, governors and local lawmakers have say over state- and city-wide orders, affecting people’s day-to-day more significantly than at the federal level. At the local level, school board races will remain contentious, with communities split over book bans and how to teach students about race and racism.
“This midterm election is also seeing the effects of the 2020 redistricting cycle, a process which happens every 10 years after new census data is collected. During that process, local and congressional districts were redrawn. Barring successful court challenges, the new districts cannot be changed again until 2030.
“Politicians in power often use redistricting as an opportunity to ‘gerrymander,’ or draw political boundaries that give one party an advantage over the other. In 2011, Republicans used their control over state and local offices to gerrymander districts that helped them keep power in the House for nearly 10 years.
“Ultimately, the question looming over the 2022 midterm elections is whether Democrats can maintain control or if Republicans will take control of the House or Senate, blocking Democratic legislation for years to come. So mark your calendars for November 8, and get ready to exercise your constitutional right to vote.”
If You Think Your Vote Won’t Make A Difference
If you’ve ever said to yourself (or heard someone else say), “My vote won’t make a difference” or “Why even bother?” or “I can’t change anything” or “Our political system is broken” or “It doesn’t matter if I vote,” those are the VERY reasons to walk into a polling station or send in your ballot.
As U.S. citizens, we’ve been given the right to use our voices to shape the kind of government we want to see. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but if you want to see it happen, become a part of the solution — if not for yourself, then for those you’ll leave behind.
Vote on November 8th. Our future as a country depends upon it.
Find Your Polling Place
Voter ID Requirements
Voter Guides and Sample Ballots
Oh, wow. Glad you found it helpful! Thanks for reading. Feel free to share!
A little late reading this but I get it... I feel I did my part, properly.