This Election Could Change Your Future

Here’s what’s happening next month: Many of the people who are going to make decisions that could change the course of your life will be chosen. Will you be able to afford college without going into crippling debt? Will more jobs come to your community? Will your parents have to choose between keeping a roof over your head or paying for your little sister’s medication?

On November 6, the midterm elections will take place. Many politicians may be on the ballot in your area, such as candidates for both houses of Congress (the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives), and state and local officials. The people who are elected will have the power to make laws that affect everything from the funding your school receives to the quality of the air you breathe.

But guess what? You have power too. Even if you aren’t old enough to vote, you can still educate yourself about what’s at stake in this election, then make your voice heard on the issues you care about most. Read on to learn which races are happening in your state, why this election matters for everyone, and how you can help shape the country’s future.

Next month, Americans will choose people for office. Many of those people are going to make decisions that could change the course of your life. Will you be able to afford college without going into crippling debt? Will more jobs come to your community? Will your parents have to choose between keeping a roof over your head or paying for your little sister’s medication?

On November 6, the midterm elections will take place. Many politicians may be on the ballot in your area. There may be candidates for both houses of Congress (the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives), and state and local officials. The people who are elected will have the power to make laws that affect everything from the funding your school receives to the quality of the air you breathe.

But guess what? You have power too. Even if you are not old enough to vote, you can still educate yourself about what is at stake in this election. Then you can make your voice heard on the issues you care about most. Read on to learn which races are happening in your state. Find out why this election matters for everyone and how you can help shape the country’s future.

*As of press time
SOURCE: Center for American Women and Politics

*As of press time
SOURCE: Center for American Women and Politics

In May 2016, I was co-teaching Sunday school to preschoolers in a church when we heard gunshots in the parking lot. I crouched below a window, terrified. Luckily for us, the shooter never came inside, but he killed one person and injured six outside. It was devastating.

For weeks, I couldn’t sleep. I felt disappointed in our society for letting this become the new normal. I tried to forget about what happened, but videos of shootings on the news brought back the trauma. Then, after the February 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, I knew I had to do something. Enough was enough.

Now I volunteer with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, where I fight for stronger laws. This past summer, I was part of its youth-led team that brought “report cards” to members of the U.S. Congress. These report cards graded them on how much they have—or haven’t—supported gun violence prevention legislation. It was empowering to meet with these politicians face-to-face and put pressure on them to change their minds.

Some people assume that I’m liberal, but I’m not. I had a Republican Party internship, and my dad owns guns. I don’t believe in gun bans, but I am in favor of a moderate approach to gun violence prevention. People getting killed senselessly isn’t a partisan issue—it’s a human issue. But it’s an issue that teenagers can help fix if we make our voices heard!

In May 2016, I was co-teaching Sunday school to preschoolers in a church. Suddenly, we heard gunshots in the parking lot. I crouched below a window, terrified. Luckily for us, the shooter never came inside. But he killed one person and injured six outside. It was devastating.

For weeks, I could not sleep. I felt disappointed in our society for letting this become the new normal. I tried to forget about what happened. But videos of shootings on the news brought back the trauma. Then, after the February 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, I knew I had to do something. Enough was enough.

Now I volunteer with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. I fight for stronger laws. This past summer, I was part of its youth-led team that brought “report cards” to members of the U.S. Congress. These report cards graded them on how much they have or have not supported gun violence prevention legislation. It was empowering to meet with these politicians face-to-face and put pressure on them to change their minds.

Some people assume that I am liberal. I am not. I had a Republican Party internship. My dad owns guns. I do not believe in gun bans, but I am in favor of a moderate approach to gun violence prevention. People getting killed senselessly is not a partisan issue. It is a human issue. But it is an issue that teenagers can help fix if we make our voices heard!

It’s much easier than you might realize to let your political leaders know what you think about important issues. Write letters, send emails, or call them. To find contact info for your local and national representatives, go to usa.gov and click on the “Government Agencies and Elected Officials” tab.

It is much easier than you might realize to let your political leaders know what you think about important issues. Write letters, send emails, or call them. To find contact info for your local and national representatives, go to usa.gov. Click on the “Government Agencies and Elected Officials” tab.

Most of my life, I knew nothing about voting. I figured if you were an American citizen, you could show up at the polls. It turns out that’s not true; you have to register to vote before you’re able to cast a ballot on Election Day.

Not everyone knows this, which causes people to miss out on their chance to have a say. I decided to help fix that.

In March, I started volunteering to register voters with a nonprofit called NextGen America. After school and on weekends, I head to areas where there are large crowds, such as local parks, and ask people if they’re registered. If they’re not—or if they’re confused by voting laws—I walk them through what they need to do and help them register on the spot.

I speak English and Spanish, which is helpful because a lot of Latinos live in my area. Many people in this community think they can’t vote, but I explain to them that they can!

I’m so proud of the work I’ve done. Some volunteers aren’t old enough to cast a ballot, but we’re still making a big difference. Sharing political posts on social media can be good for raising awareness, but nothing produces as much change as voting.

Most of my life, I knew nothing about voting. I figured if you were an American citizen, you could show up at the polls. It turns out that is not true. You have to register to vote before you are able to cast a ballot on Election Day.

Not everyone knows this. Some people miss out on their chance to have a say. I decided to help fix that.

In March, I started volunteering to register voters with a nonprofit called NextGen America. I volunteer after school and on weekends. I go to areas where there are large crowds, such as local parks. I ask people if they are registered. If they are not, or if they are confused by voting laws, I help. I walk them through what they need to do. I also help them register on the spot.

I speak English and Spanish. That is helpful because a lot of Latinos live in my area. Many people in this community think they cannot vote. But I explain to them that they can!

I am so proud of the work I have done. Even though some volunteers are not old enough to cast a ballot, we are still making a big difference. Sharing political posts on social media can be good for raising awareness. But nothing produces as much change as voting.

Make sure that the adults in your life vote by talking with them about the election—and asking them if they’re registered. If not (and they’re U.S. citizens and age 18 or older), send them to vote411.org for online voter registration. Then encourage them to vote on November 6!

Make sure that the adults in your life vote by talking with them about the election. Ask them if they are registered. If not, and they are U.S. citizens and age 18 or older, send them to vote411.org for online voter registration. Then encourage them to vote on November 6!

I’ve always been one of those kids who is hard on herself. When I was younger, I played softball and four instruments, and I was always pushing myself to improve. I think about politics the same way: There’s a lot America can do better. For instance, women make up more than half the U.S. population, so why are so few of our elected officials female?

To help create change, I became involved in political campaigns, picking ones that had a message I truly believed in. Last year, I volunteered on Ralph Northam’s successful campaign for governor of Virginia. I volunteered after school and on weekends. I made phone calls and canvassed. (That’s where you go door-to-door and talk to strangers about your candidate in order to gain support for the campaign.)

My goal is to encourage other teenagers to become politically active. That’s why I started volunteering with an organization called Rise to Run this past June. It inspires young women to run for office by teaching them how campaigns work, encouraging them to volunteer for ones that inspire them, and more.

I’m busy! But I keep going because I know that there’s always a younger girl out there who needs a role model like me to look up to.

I have always been one of those kids who is hard on herself. When I was younger, I played softball and four instruments. I was always pushing myself to improve. I think about politics the same way. There is a lot America can do better. For instance, why are so few of our elected officials female? Women make up more than half the U.S. population.

To help create change, I became involved in political campaigns. I picked ones that had a message I truly believed in. Last year, I volunteered on Ralph Northam’s successful campaign for governor of Virginia. I volunteered after school and on weekends. I made phone calls and canvassed. (That is where you go door-to-door and talk to strangers about your candidate in order to gain support for the campaign.)

My goal is to encourage other teenagers to become politically active. That is why I started volunteering with an organization called Rise to Run this past June. It inspires young women to run for office by teaching them how campaigns work. It encourages them to volunteer for campaigns that inspire them, and more.

I am busy! But I keep going because I know that there is always a younger girl out there who needs a role model like me to look up to.

Research candidates who are running in your area by checking local news coverage and the candidates’ websites. Once you find someone you like, sign up to volunteer for the campaign through his or her website.

Research candidates who are running in your area. Check local news coverage and the candidates’ websites. Once you find someone you like, sign up to volunteer for the campaign through his or her website

1. Which states have only a single seat in the U.S. House of Representatives?

2. Which of those states will be electing a governor in November?

3. Which two states have the greatest number of House seats?

4. People in those two states will be voting to fill which positions?

5. How many states will be electing only members of the House?

6. Which political party is in the majority in both houses of Congress?

7. Which house of Congress approves or rejects a president’s Supreme Court nominee?

8. What must a U.S. citizen have done in order to be able to cast a ballot on Election Day?

9. Independents in the Senate usually vote with which political party?

10. Which year shown on the line graph had the lowest voter turnout in a presidential election?

1. Which states have only a single seat in the U.S. House of Representatives?

2. Which of those states will be electing a governor in November?

3. Which two states have the greatest number of House seats?

4. People in those two states will be voting to fill which positions?

5. How many states will be electing only members of the House?

6. Which political party is in the majority in both houses of Congress?

7. Which house of Congress approves or rejects a president’s Supreme Court nominee?

8. What must a U.S. citizen have done in order to be able to cast a ballot on Election Day?

9. Independents in the Senate usually vote with which political party?

10. Which year shown on the line graph had the lowest voter turnout in a presidential election?