Fewer than 37 percent of registered voters participated in the 2014 midterm elections, a low not seen since 1942. On top of that, Indiana’s individual turnout was the worst in the country, with only 28.8 percent casting a ballot.
Voter registration in Indiana has gone up nearly 10 percent (reported in July) for 18-29 year olds. Thanks to movements across the country that encourage youth to register, it is predicted that this midterm election will have one of the highest turnouts for the youngest voter demographics.
Indiana is considered one of six crucial battleground state for the midterms, meaning the results from the U.S. Senate and House races could sway the majority party in both chambers.
Following the surge of school shootings since 2016, many youth-led movements have organized, encouraging peers to vote. Most notably, the #VoteThemOut campaign, started by Giffords, a non-profit organization focusing on gun violence prevention, is inspiring eligible students to vote.
Senior Mackenzie Lewis, cited a dislike for current administration as motivation for voting.
“The future of our country should be most important to the youngest generations because we have to live with the world that’s created, but all the older generations get to call the shots,” said Lewis.
For senior Allie Wooten, though, it was always curiosity that led to motivation.
“I grew up always wanting to know what was happening and wanting to understand what made political SNL skits so funny, and eventually I just started keeping track of the news and stuff to stay updated,” Wooten said.
For many students, the aftermath of the 2016 election encouraged them to vote. There are 8 million 18-year-olds eligible to vote in this midterm election who that didn’t have the chance in 2016.
Perry alumnus Max Sandefer, now a freshman at Indiana University, will be voting for the first time in a major election this November.
Sandefer exaggerates the importance of doing research on those who are running.
“If you consider yourself a full-on Republican or Democrat, vote based on your party,” he says. “But I recommend you pay attention to what the jobs on each ballot entail and find out who is best suited for the job.”
Senior Jakob Orr said he will most likely vote based on his party.
“Like most teens just learning to vote, there’s still a lot I don’t know about,” he said. “More likely than not, if I don’t know who to vote for and my Dad doesn’t give me his opinion, I’ll just pick whoever is in my party”.
In Indiana, the race for Joe Donnelly’s senate seat is the center of attention. Donnelly, a Democrat, has served on the U.S. Senate since 2012 and was in the House of Representatives from 2006 through 2010. His opponent, republican Mike Braun, served in the Indiana House of Representatives from 2014-2017, but this is his first campaign for national office.
In addition to the 13 offices at stake, there are 19 judicial retentions to vote on, meaning a vote yes or no to keep an incumbent, unopposed judge on the court.
Although voter registration ended October 9, nearly 66 percent of Indiana’s population is registered.
“Voting is the simplest, easiest, most direct way to enact significant change,” said Lewis.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 6. Vote.org has information for checking registration status and polling locations.