It’s that time of year again!
Yes, midterms, and they’re awful, we know. We feel it too. But get your noses out of your books for a second and try to remember what other time of year it is.
Yes, Halloween, and we know you’re planning to have a great time this weekend dressed as a unicorn or sexy firefighter or sexy miner or whatever other sexy animal or pop–culture reference you can think of (But seriously, Lady Gaga? That is so 2009). Pull your mind away from this weekend’s costume parties and think again.
Ah, yes, Nov. starts on Monday, which means Tuesday is everyone’s favorite day of the year: Election Day!
No, you say, Election Day doesn’t get you nearly as excited as Halloween, or Christmas or Chanukah, or even Earth Day? What’s that-you don’t even plan to vote?
Well then next week you can kiss your ownership of this country goodbye. You won’t be exiled, of course, and you certainly can’t get arrested, because we live in a free country. But that’s just it: This country is free because its citizens care enough to take an active interest in keeping it that way.
Every two years a lesser election takes place, an election that often comes to be a check on the government currently in power but also often goes forgotten by citizens across the nation-particularly young citizens. It’s not as glamorous to vote in the Midterm elections, and you won’t see any star-studded Youtube videos produced by Will.I.Am trying to get you to vote, and P. Diddy certainly has better things to do right now than to tell you to rock the vote. But you still should.
You should because the country still hasn’t pulled itself fully out of the state of disrepair it was in two years ago. We’ll still be graduating into a scary job market, and some of our friends and family are still suffering economically and otherwise. Here’s your chance to tell the government you support their current efforts and you want them to keep going. Here’s your chance to tell them you’re sick of their policies and you want something better. Ultimately, here’s your chance to have your voice heard. On the ballot Tuesday will be your Governor, Lieutenant Governor, your U.S. and State Representatives for the third district and your U.S. Senator for Pennsylvania. Lucky you, there will be five different candidates for whom you get to vote!
The Midterm elections are just as important as any other-current polls are showing after these, control of the U.S. House of Representatives is likely to switch to the Republicans, but control of the U.S. Senate will remain with the Democrats. Are you okay with that? Does that sound like your ideal governmental makeup?
If so, stay home on Nov. 2, but don’t come whining on our Opinion pages when you don’t like what the government’s been doing. This is your chance to have your say.
And if you don’t like the way those polls are looking, then get out there, punch some buttons, and change the future. You’ve got homework, and sports practice, and tutoring on Tuesday, we know, but you’ve also got the biggest job of all: Exercising your rights as a U.S. citizen.