Remain Civically Engaged During The Upcoming Midterm Elections

Voting is a great way to become civically engaged and stand up for what you believe in. 

Fortunately, people can exercise that right this year during midterm elections, which will take place on Nov. 8 but there is the option to vote early between Oct. 24 and Nov. 6.

If you haven’t already, you can register to vote by attending your local election office or completing the form online at https://registertovoteflorida.gov/home. The last day to register is Oct. 11.

Once registered, you can check your voting district, polling place and request a vote-by-mail ballot by visiting Miami-Dade County’s voter information website at https://bit.ly/3CsjGGn.

The last midterm elections in 2018 yielded a record-breaking 53% turnout rate, according to the United States Census.

While that was the highest turnout in four decades, it still meant more than one-third of eligible voters didn’t cast their votes. So if you are a registered voter, remember to complete the process by visiting the polls on election day.

During the upcoming midterm election, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 seats in the Senate will be contested. Thirty nine states, including Florida, will also hold gubernatorial elections.

Some of the topics of contention on the ballot include abortion rights, environmental protection, gun control, student loan forgiveness, foreign policy and the current state of the country’s economy.

With such decisive issues on the table, this is your chance to have your voice heard and incite the United States to keep improving by choosing politicians who will care about the work they do and who they do it for—the people.

But before voting, do your research about the candidates by visiting their campaign pages and social media accounts, watching debates and town hall meetings and studying their voting and financial donation history.

To check a politician’s voting history, search their name at https://www.congress.gov/. You may also study the factual validity of their beliefs by visiting https://www.factcheck.org/.

Once you identify a candidate to support, you can continue your civic engagement by volunteering for their campaign and spreading their views through in-person word of mouth, phone calls and social media activism.

You can also become a paid poll worker at your local Miami Dade College campus or partner with non-profit organizations such as the Institute for Civic Engagement and Democracy.

Voting is a privileged tradition in which we inspire change in our community, state and nation. This November, we have the chance to join that tradition by voting and having our voices heard.