By Erin Brody, Arts and Culture Editor
As soon as one thinks the political ads are done being shown on television, another round of them pops up for a different campaign. Despite us rolling our eyes every time a commercial speaks ill of our own political party, the fact remains that each voting season is important, and Saint Vincent College had a voting table in the Latimer Library this past month to encourage students to participate in this election season.
One of the students working the table was Rebekah Bollman, a sophomore criminology and politics major, and she says having a table in the Library was effective, even though this wasn’t a presidential election. Bollman, however, explained why it is so important for people to vote in this year’s midterm election, as it plays a huge part in how our government is run.
“The 2022 midterms are so important because it will essentially determine the balance of power within Congress for the rest of President Biden’s term,” says Bollman. “All of the seats for the House of Representatives and 35 Senate seats are up for election, so depending on the way citizens vote this season, our Congress and government could look very different in terms of its response to key issues.”
These key issues, she notes, can range “from healthcare to taxes and inflation.” Bollman also states that the events from 2020 had a major effect on these key issues, and so many more topics one may care about.
Delaney Fox, a junior politics major, will participate in this year’s midterms.
“Voting has always been really important to me,” says Fox. “The politics of Pennsylvania can be drastically changed just by this election.”
One example Fox gave is the overturn of Roe v. Wade in June of this year. While she didn’t want to specify her opinion on it in the interview, Fox says just this factor can play a huge part in how the election turns out.
“Pennsylvania is one of the states where the election determines where we fall [as a whole],” says Fox.
Fox explained that PA is a diverse state politically with cities like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia leaning towards the left, the working class and rural residents lean towards the right. Voting is a chance for people to determine who voices our concerns as a state. “Everybody votes for the president, but you don’t think about the governor, the state representatives, or other positions as much,” says Fox.
While the turnout at the Library table was a success, Bollman wants people to vote instead of simply learning about their options. “We hope to see people making and committing to a plan to vote in the midterms [...] on Nov. 8,” says Bollman. “Go vote!”