A Look Back at the Midterms
A Successful Election… But Much Left to Be Desired
This month, our country held another safe & secure midterm election with over 107 million ballots cast and little news of major interference or obstructions. We commend the thousands of election officials who helped ensure that our democratic right to vote was protected.
While there were many success stories from this election; there were also an equal amount of stories that highlighted our election system’s shortcomings and exemplified the need to add a mobile voting option. Today, we’re going to take a look at the highs and lows of our latest election.
The Highs
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Overall, youth turnout was near a record high for a midterm at 27%, just short of the 2018 record of 28%.
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In addition, over 100 million ballots were submitted and counted across the country.
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In a statement from CISA and the Biden Administration, our election systems were not interfered with and suffered from no significant intrusions.
The Lows
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Overall, turnout was down from the 2018 midterms, with only 46.9% of eligible Americans voting.
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Reports of Indigenous voters on reservations traveling hundreds of miles to vote at a time of high gas prices.
- New election laws created additional barriers for voters with disabilities.
- College students across the country faced numerous barriers, including confusing voter ID laws, long lines at polling places, lack of campus polling locations, and missing absentee ballots.
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Absentee returns from military voters are down from 2018, with less than 10,000 ballots returned so far.
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Paper shortages, malfunctioning printers, and mail disruptions created hiccups for voters in Arizona, Georgia, Texas, and Washington, D.C.
What’s Next?
2023 Elections
Next year, six states and thousands of local municipalities will be holding elections; everything from governor to city council will be back on the ballot. It is anticipated that next year we will see much lower turnout as off-year elections often see much lower turnout when compared to midterm and presidential elections.
For Us
Throughout this election cycle, we again saw the many barriers put in place that helps suppress turnout and force certain voters to jump through more hoops than others. Whether it’s military voters, voters with disabilities, young voters, or Indigenous voters, we need to increase accessibility to the ballot box. This year underscored the need for a mobile voting option to help break down these barriers. Be sure to be on the lookout for more news and updates from us as we move into 2023.