The 2022 Midterms Elections are coming up! In the state of Indiana, the Secretary of State, a Senator, and the Representative for Allen County’s district are up for election. As of Aug. 23, 2022, FiveThirtyEight rates the House of Representatives and the Senate as lean democrat and lean republican respectively, meaning both are extremely competitive. If you’ll be able to vote in this election, your vote WILL count. Here’s what you need to know:

Senate – Todd Young v. Tom McDermott v. James Sceniak

Incumbent – Todd Young (R):
Main issues include inflation, being anti-abortion, securing the Mexican border and opposing President Biden. This would be Young’s second term. Young has been in office since 2017.

Tom McDermott (D):
Young’s main opposition; main issues include gun control, marijuana legalization, pro-choice legislation, LGBTQ rights and President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda. The former mayor of Hammond, IN; he would be Indiana’s first Democratic Senator since 2012.

James Sceniak (L):
Libertarian, third party candidate; main issues include inflation, prochoice legislation, ending corporate welfare and criminal justice reform. If elected, James Sceniak would be the first and only Libertarian senator in the United States.

House – Jim Banks v. Gary Synder v. Nathan Gotsch

Incumbent – Jim Banks (R):
Main issues include inflation, being anti-abortion, antiimmigrant and promoting Former President Trump’s America First agenda. As a self-proclaimed “Christian Nationalist,” Banks is a staunch
supporter of Donald Trump.

Gary Snyder (D):
Main opposition to Banks; main issues include climate protections, voting rights and supporting Biden’s agenda. Snyder has no former political experience and was involved in Indiana radio.

Nathan Gotsch (I):
Independent challenger; main issues include inflation and ending corruption. Gotsch is a local journalist who helped inform Northeastern Indiana on Covid-19.

Indiana Secretary of State – Diego Morales v. Destiny Wells v. Jeff Maurer

Diego Morales (R):
Republican candidate; main issues are not available on his website, and social media doesn’t provide much information on his policy either. In the website, he included that he is “a faith-guided conservative” and went to university in the Netherlands.

Destiny Wells (D):
Democratic candidate; main issues include non-partisan election verification and encouraging small businesses. Wells has been narrowly leading in the polls for the past week, meaning this race is a toss-up.

Jeff Maurer (L):
Libertarian candidate; main issues include election transparency, open audits of all counties, and encouraging small businesses.

If you’re 18, you may be thinking, “This is my first election! I don’t know how to vote.” See the email from Dr. Ginder you received on Aug. 23, 2022 for the link to register, and here’s what April Johnson, Election and Absentee Voting Deputy from the Allen County Board of Elections had to say:

”The process of voting is pretty easy. You can go to our website to find your polling location. On election day they’ll check your identification, usually a passport or drivers’ license, show you how to vote and then you’ll be good to go.”

There are a set number of locations depending on the type of election, so if you volunteered at a polling station in 2020 or drove by one, it could be different for the 2022 midterms. Check the website for more information (https://allencountyinvoters.gov/).

Are you over sixteen, but not 18? You can still participate in the election in other ways! Firstly, you can volunteer at a polling station and earn $110. It may also count towards your community service. This can help relieve the polling locations if turnout is high, which it hopefully will be, and it would look great on a college application. Consider it! Even better, anyone of any age can participate in Indiana’s “I Voted” sticker design competition. If you’re a creative person, visit https://www. in.gov/sos/2022-i-voted-sticker-design-competition/.

AP Gov. Teacher Mr. Byall has a few tips for new voters: “Identify who is running; do research on their background, experience, views, and proposals; select who (you) think would be best for that office. I would start with https:// indianavoters.in.gov/ to see who is on the ballot. Go to their websites to learn more about them, as well as checking out a variety of articles about them” says Byall. He recommends registering early at the IN voters website. The election is on Nov. 8 2022. Voting is your civic duty, so make sure to research your candidates, plan your day around voting and get out to the polls!