"AND THE WINNER IS..."

On Tuesday, 5 November, countries around the world waited with bated breath as Americans went to the polls to vote for their state and federal representatives and senators, and the 47th president.

What was a highly watched campaign season—especially after President Biden dropped out in mid-July and the running mates were selected by both Vice President Harris and President-Elect Trump—ended early in the morning on Wednesday, 6 November. President-Elect Trump, the 45th president of the United States, won the election with 312 electoral votes (270 are needed to win) and 49.9% of the popular vote (The New York Times). Vice President Harris received 226 electoral votes and 48.3% of the popular vote (The New York Times). In Connecticut, Vice President Harris won with 57.34% of the vote (CT Secretary of State). According to Time Magazine, Trump’s win can be accredited to his rhetoric in terms of immigration and the economy, and voters who believe that Trump has been wrongfully attacked by the media and government (Cortellessa). Many of his supporters will look to him to implement his campaign promises, including a “mass deportation of illegal immigrants” (Barrow).  

In the week leading up to Election Day, many GHS students went with their Social Studies class to the media center, where they participated in a mock election. Interestingly, all but two race results matched up with the actual election results: the presidential race and the race between Representative Khanna and Tina Courpas. Specifically, in the presidential race, GHS students voted for Vice President Harris, but Harris won by less than 5%, a pretty narrow margin. While the mock election results were not designed to predict the election, the exercise was extremely important. As the youngest voters are the least likely to vote, compared to older generations, becoming familiar with how elections work are important to “[help] overcome the intimidation first-time voters often face…and develop the rhythm of civic participation…” as stated by Evie Blad, a reporter for the magazine Education Week. 

If you are unhappy with the election results, at either the federal or state level, you don’t have long to wait until the next election. Every two years, halfway through a presidential term, one-third of the United States Senate is up for re-election, while every two years the entire House of Representatives is up for a midterm election (US Capitol Visitor Center). It’s not unusual for a president’s party to lose seats in this election, as voters may become frustrated with the party in the majority in the House and Senate (Skelley et al). The majority party in Congress appoints and votes on the chairs of committees and leadership positions (US Embassy). In Congress, committees are specialities that Representatives and Senators have when in Congress (US Capitol Visitor Center). These have many different roles—from the environment to deciding the federal government’s budget—but most importantly, they draft legislation including laws and acts (US Capitol Visitor Center). Given this amount of power that the majority party has, voters often want to reduce their control, and will vote for the opposing party more than the previous election (US Embassy). 

Voting is one of the most powerful tools that an American citizen has, and we haven’t always had it.  This year also marked the 111th Anniversary of the 17th Amendment, which allowed American citizens to vote for members of the U.S. Senate. Before this amendment, state senators would vote on who to send to Congress. While clearly not a Constitutional guarantee, it’s one of the only ways that America remains a democracy—or democratic republic. Just think about it: a thin sheet of paper with black and white print, and the check that you make into one of the tiny boxes, has the power to change the leadership and trajectory of one of the most powerful countries in the world.