Story By: Jayden Presley
Midterm elections are coming up on November 8th, and there are many issues to consider before voting. UM students and faculty in political science shared their thoughts about the importance of voting and their own political perspectives.
The full list of Alabama candidates can be viewed here. Governor Kay Ivey is running for re-election, and Katie Britt is a frontrunner as a candidate for U.S. Senate.
As for issues that will sway the votes of Alabamians, the overturning of Roe vs. Wade has heightened the attention on abortion rights. Income equality and voting equality, along with inflation and gas prices, have also been topics to consider.
“Reading up on who the candidates are and figuring out whose ideas most closely align with yours is super important before going into the voting booth,” said Sean Bloemetjie, a junior political science and Communication Studies double major.
This is the first election since former president Donald Trump made claims that the 2020 election results were false.
Many candidates have spoken about election laws, and many Americans wonder what policies will shape voting in the future.
Concerns about inflation and gas prices have also been on the hot seat.
“Inflation and gas prices I think is something that is very difficult for a lot of people on the ballot this November to deal with because it’s such an international issue and a corporate issue, really,” said junior English major Cady Inabinett.
The candidates on midterm ballots directly affect people on a community and state level, dealing with laws and policies involving everyday life.
“I would argue that most American elections are pretty important. They have policy consequences,” said political science professor Dr. Scott Turner. “I think we have to frame this one by going back two years to the last election in 2020, which was not only a congressional election but also a presidential election.”
The previous election gave Democrats a majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The time for voting registration passed on October 24th, but it’s not too late to brush up knowledge of the candidates and their policies.
Vallo Vision News 