In Congress and the NHP classroom, there are many considerations that must be made in elections.
By Asmita Saha
On November 8, New Hyde Park citizens were able to vote in the 2022 midterm elections for their local, state and federal representatives. Results from the midterms will now determine the extent of influence President Joe Biden will have over the next two years of his term.
“I believe that midterm elections are a way of checking the president. They’re a good metric; they send a signal to Washington D.C. that we still care, even if the President is not on the ballot. What’s most important about midterms is that they decide who’s in control of Congress,” senior Mohamed Adam said.
Nationally, the Senate will be controlled by Democrats, who will hold 51 seats out of 100. Senators are elected for six-year terms, with one-third of the Senate up for reelection every two years. This election, 34 Senate seats were open, creating fierce competition between candidates.
Candidates campaigned a wide variety of policies this year. Among them were promises to improve the economy, reduce inflation, reinstate or deny abortion access and reduce gun violence. Among many voters, equality, abortion access and relief from the pandemic were top priorities.
“Results from the midterms will now determine the extent of influence President Joe Biden will have over the next two years of his term...”
“I think that with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, as well as the recent increase of anti-LGBTQ hate, more people, especially younger people, like students, have been driven to vote, which stopped the predicted Red Wave. I think this really speaks to the importance of voting and making your voice heard,” senior Nicholas Washington said.
By a slim margin, the House of Representatives will be headed by Republicans who will hold 222 seats out of 445. Representatives echo the voices of different congressional districts all across the United States during their two-year terms.
In January, newly elected, re-elected and returning members of the United States Congress will begin the 118th Congress in the US Capitol building. Among them will be re-elected Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and newly elected Congressman Anthony D'Esposito (R-NY 4th district) who will represent New Hyde Park.
Within NHP Memorial, seniors of Dr. D’Orsogna’s AP United States Government and Politics classes are learning about elections in a unique way. Using a module from the College Board, students demonstrated their knowledge on government policy through a mock presidential election process.
Source by Anna Detke
Democratic presidential candidate Matthew Zatz discusses his abortion policy during the primary election in period two.
Students were split into four different sections that were in charge of different parts of the election process: political parties, news media sources, special interest groups or the presidential campaign and candidate teams. Each group is affiliated with a political party.
Special interest groups and political parties chose specific policies that would constitute their platform. For example, the GOP determined their key voter issues were immigration, military funding and public safety. Presidential candidates advocated their campaign by speaking to said groups with the help of their respective campaign managers. Media groups predicted, summarized and endorsed contenders for the race through conspiracies and exposés about candidates, playing a major role in the public perception of candidates. Altogether, these four groups of the election each picked one candidate from their respective political parties for the primary election.
The campaign and candidate teams that did not advance in the primaries became individual swing states.
“Ultimately, the winners of the general election are determined by swing states, or people in the class who are going to say: ‘Do I actually think this person could get elected in Pennsylvania?’ ‘In Georgia?’ It’ll be really similar to how a general election will go in this country,” said social studies teacher Dr. D’Orsogna.
The results from the nation’s midterm elections have closed with narrow majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, while Dr. D'Orsogna’s classes are ready for their general elections on December 22.