Voting is always important — on a local and national level — but in this year's midterm election, your participation is needed more than ever as number of very important issues are at stake.
So what does that mean exactly? The midterms will determine which party controls the majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate. This will heavily influence the president's ability to govern for the next two years. Democrats need 23 seats in the House of Representatives to gain a majority and two in the Senate.
The most important issues that will be affected by the outcome of this year's election include healthcare, reproductive rights, gun control, immigration, and the environment. With the current majority in Congress, President Donald Trump has been able to advance an agenda that dismantles the Affordable Care Act, proposes building a border wall, is strongly opposed to gun reform, and had drastically cut resources for protecting the environment. If the Democrats were to take control they would act as check to Trump's power, particularly on these issues. Congress also has the power to approve a Supreme Court Justice — as we saw when Kavanaugh was appointed by the Republican majority despite a contentious judicial hearing.
In many ways, this year's midterms are being seen as a referendum on Trump's policies and politics. As he has amped up divisiveness and stoked fears of a migrant caravan in the days leading up to election day, many voters are determined to change the tenor of civic debate. Many take issue with the president's factious and isolating rhetoric, particularly on the heels of incidents like the attempted bombings of Trump opponents and the press, and the recent massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue.