Student’s Outlook on Midterms and Politics

by Anna Harman

*Pictures courtesy of Creative Commons

Midterm elections took place on November 8th in the United States. 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 seats out of the 100 in the Senate were contested. The outcome of this  election will determine whether Democrats keep their congressional majorities. There are varying opinions on midterm elections, voting, and politics in general amongst young people today. 

Cedarville junior International Studies major Jewell Strock believes that voting in the midterm elections is crucial. Involvement in government is important to her, even though some citizens don’t view the midterm elections as relevant as they do primary elections. It’s important, regardless of if we’re voting for the president or other representatives. 

“It is essential to know what is going on, not only in our country but also in the world,” Strock said. “In conversations I’ve had, many people are only living in a bubble, unaware of what is going on in their government. Our duty as citizens is to be aware of what’s happening so we can actively make decisions that we believe can positively affect our country.” 

Strock supports the claim that caring about politics today allows us to avoid an attitude of ignorance and, because the world is not centered around the individual, knowing what is going on in our government should affect us. 

Cedarville junior Industrial design major Caleb Cullins also sees great importance in voting in the midterm elections. He sees it as a chance to change things in our country and believes it is our civic duty to vote. Cullins is very firm in his belief that citizens should care about voting in elections such as these because people fought and died for that privilege. 

“What happens now will affect our future and if you don’t do your research and learn about the policies and candidates it’s easy to be led astray and fall for something that looks good on the outside but is awful in reality,” Cullins said. “The Bible says to watch out for wolves in sheep’s clothing and to be firm in our understanding so that we aren’t blown back and forth by every wave of teaching. We as Christians need to be proactive both for the sake of the country as a whole but also for the lives of our families.” 

Christina Kotsatos, a junior Early Childhood Education major, considers voting and politics important to an extent. She thinks that politics in general can be irritating because some people are too forceful with their opinions. Kotsatos also believes that it’s not essential for her to stay loyal to a specific political party.

“I believe that it is important for our country to have a conservative foundation and the only way to make that happen is through voting.” Kotsatos said.“I just think that whoever lines up most with conservative, biblical values is who I want.”

A lot of students today are either extremely involved in politics or not at all interested, with no middle ground. But there are many young people concerned with equality and justice in our culture. Some choose to be advocates for these things and they become very involved in political matters, such as voting. Some want to make changes within our country, so they are passionate about voting. Others choose to not worry about politics for various reasons; busy, wanting to stay out of potential conflict, and fear of knowing what’s really going on in the world among other reasons. 

Personally, I(Anna Harman) don’t feel strongly either way about politics or voting in general. I do think that it is frightening to find out some of the dark details of what goes on in the political world and in our government. Reckless leaders, potential wars and disturbing peace with other countries, are all very unsettling things to be aware of. Despite my reservations toward political involvement, I do see the value of voting and speaking out against things that may go against what we as Christians believe. 

No matter what your stance is on politics or voting, it is important that we remember we are all followers of Christ first, and we should do our best as a body to obey God’s commands for our lives. Some might have strong opinions about involvement in political matters, but we should all make decisions based on what we feel God is calling us as individuals to do. 

Anna Harman is a junior Biblical Studies major and also a reporter for Cedars. She appreciates writing, peppermint tea, flowers, and going to concerts.