11/13/22

By Aditi Jha

So far, the Republican party has the majority in the House, with 212 seats compared to the Democrats' 204. 19 races are yet to be called. 218 seats are necessary to win the House. After Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto's win in Nevada, Democrats have taken control of the Senate with 50 seats. Regarding governor elections, 25 Republicans and 23 Democrats have been elected. Incumbent Democratic Governor Tim Walz has been re-elected as the Governor of Minnesota. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says that she might choose to stay another term with the results of the midterm elections. "People are campaigning, and that's a beautiful thing. And I'm not asking anyone for anything. My members are asking me to consider doing that. But, again, let's just get through the (midterm) election," she said on Sunday. By the morning of November 8th, over 42 million Americans had already voted in the midterms. This is despite the estimated 33 restrictive voting laws in 20 states that had been implemented ahead of the midterms, with the most major legislature in Georgia, Florida, Iowa, and Texas. The Associated Press reported a decline in turnout among registered voters in those states, though it also said that it also could have been because of "voter enthusiasm and[or] bad weather." In Texas, the new voting laws caused many people confusion as officials had to throw out almost 23,000 mail-in ballots due to not having the new ID requirements. Iowa, a state that, according to the Des Moines Register, used to provide "long hours for in-person voting, same day voter registration, easy access to absentee ballots and a lengthy early voting period" has also had a new law implemented that cut down on early voting days and polling place hours, shortened the period for voters to return mailed ballots and prohibited anyone but close relatives, a household member or caregiver from dropping off somebody's ballot. Republican Governor of Iowa Kim Reynolds said in 2021 that "I think we do it well in Iowa. I'm proud of our system. I think we're a role model for other states, but we should always be looking at ways that we can enhance and improve." The Pew Research Center's senior writer, Drew DeSilver, wrote that voting laws are an "unknown factor" in determining how many people vote. "While some states have rolled back early voting, absentee or mail-in voting, and other rule changes that made voting easier in 2020, or adopted new rules that make voting more difficult or inconvenient, other states have expanded ballot access," DeSilver wrote.

That's the news for today! Stay safe!