As the semester comes to an end and finals week begins, we’re all rightfully stressed by the overwhelming amount that needs to get done before summer break. However, while it may be easy to lose ourselves over the next couple of weeks, let’s not forget that primary elections are coming up, with Ohio’s being on May 3. Though many students at Case Western Reserve University aren’t registered to vote, those who are shouldn’t forget to either vote either in-person or via absentee ballot. 

While it’s somewhat understandable that students might be forgetful about these elections with final exams and essays, it’s nevertheless incredibly important. Despite our busy schedules, voting is essential. The outcomes will have a significant impact on our lives, and doubly so for marginalized communities. Issues concerning climate change, abortion, gun control, police brutality, Critical Race Theory, healthcare, immigration, COVID-19 and so much more are on the line with these midterm elections.

The issues are becoming increasingly worse. Earlier this month, Patrick Lyoya, a Black man, was killed by a police officer in Michigan during a traffic stop. As of this month, 536 abortion restrictions have been introduced in 42 states, with 43 abortion restrictions enacted in as many states. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is warning humans that we have limited time before the damage caused by climate change is irreversible; climate change is already severely costing lives, so we cannot wait any longer. There have been 146 mass shootings so far in 2022 in the United States. It’s projected for U.S. healthcare prices to rise this year. This is only the tip of the iceberg, which is why it’s imperative that we all do our part in these elections, even in the primaries. 

Currently, the Senate has an equal number of Democratic and Republican Senators. This year, 35 seats in the Senate are up for re-election, along with all 435 seats in the House of Representatives. With this year being a midterm election, it is likely that the president’s party will suffer, meaning the Democrats will likely lose seats. If both the House and Senate become a Republican majority, it’s likely that it will result in a gridlock—making it incredibly difficult for necessary policies to pass and likely that bills will be introduced that are, frankly, a danger to our lives. However, we have the opportunity to change this. 

Furthermore, it’s not just the House and Senate seats that matter, it’s all the other positions as well. For the Ohio voters, there is not only a critical Senate seat up for election, but also races for governor, attorney general, various judicial seats and more; the Ohio primary ballot is three pages long. This goes for other states across the country, with similar important seats all over up for grabs. No matter where you are registered to vote, voting in the primaries and the midterms is crucial.

We saw how much campaigning went into the 2020 elections, particularly the presidential race. While these local primary and midterm elections aren’t receiving the amount of attention they should be, it’s still critical that we vote in them. Older generations typically have consistently high voter turnout, but we have the ability to reverse this trend and make a difference. It might be finals season, but it is also election season: go vote.