

While presidential candidates are not on the ballot this fall, midterm elections generally serve as a referendum on the party in power, when unhappy or apathetic moderates and the riled-up base of the party in the minority (in this case, the Republicans) use voting to express why they believe a president and his party have failed. Democrats currently hold a tiebreaker majority in the Senate, which means that the chamber is split 50-50 by political affiliation and requires Vice President Kamala Harris’ vote if Democrats want to push their agenda forward. Currently, the Democrats hold only a slight majority in the House of Representatives - 220 Democrats to 212 Republicans, with three current vacancies. President Joe Biden has two more years left in the Oval Office, but that doesn’t mean this midterm election is any less significant.

Why do the midterms matter if there’s no presidential election? Stacey Abrams Is Fighting For Your Right to Vote.If you need to brush up on who is running for what on your own local level, usa.gov offers a portal that will take you directly to your official state and local election website. On top of that, there are countless local elections to decide everything from county clerks to sheriffs to circuit courts. Additionally, there are a number of important state races coming up, including several gubernatorial contests in key battleground states like Florida, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. In the Senate, roughly one-third of all the seats are on the ballot as well.

At the federal level, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for grabs, as they are every two years. This year’s midterm elections take place on Tuesday, November 8. What happens during the midterm elections?
2022 MIDTERM ELECTIONS HOW TO
politics.īelow, Shondaland answers your biggest lingering midterm questions, from why they matter to how to make sure you’re registered to vote. And this particular election season is crucial for the state of U.S. The 2022 midterm elections are still more than a month away (coming in early November!), but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to do and brush up on before deciding who will be your representatives on the congressional, state, and local levels.
