President Biden’s approval ratings fell to just 39 percent in the days preceding the 2022 midterm elections. The “red wave” predicted by pundits and right-wing media sources alike was largely based on the belief that voters would be turned off by Biden’s high inflation rates, ignoring the issues of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the climate crisis, gun violence, student-debt relief and the general fear of America shifting away from democracy.

Young voters under the age of 30 made up a large part of the pro-Democrat voting block, meaning that college-aged voters were responsible for keeping the Senate blue and working against drops of Democrat support from older generations. This year’s midterm elections featured the second highest youth-voter turnout in almost three decades, and proved that the political influence of college voters is undeniably powerful. It’s critical that Syracuse University students are paying attention to elections because youth-voter turnout can change the outcome of results.

Tuesday’s results proved anti-Biden predictions wrong, with Democrats maintaining control of the Senate and being predicted to lose only a few seats in the House of Representatives. The election maintained the notion that the core values of democracy and the mission to protect individual rights are more important than a faulty economy stemming from an unpredictable pandemic.

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Former President Donald Trump left behind an unforgettable legacy featuring the Jan. 6 riot, ongoing Mar-a-Lago investigations and a Supreme Court with an overwhelming Republican majority. His presidency has become an emblem of America as a backsliding democracy, and his autocratic behavior has resulted in increased polarization between politicians and among American citizens. The question of the midterm elections became whether voters would uphold the tenets of Trump’s presidency, or if they would work to fight his pervasive cult of personality.

Voters accomplished the latter. Not every Trump-backed candidate has met his predicted, victorious expectations, indicating that his backing may be a political liability. Trump’s authoritarian behavior pushes voters to look at candidates who simply aim to maintain democracy.

Along those lines, stemming directly from the Trump-endorsed Supreme Court was the overturning of Roe v. Wade, a landmark 1973 decision that legally protected the right to an abortion. The overturning was an attack on the progression of American women everywhere, regardless of their party or religious beliefs. The 2022 midterm elections featured five referendums surrounding abortion rights in Michigan, Kentucky, Vermont, California and Montana. All five yielded pro-choice results, even in Montana and Kentucky, historically pro-Trump, red states.

Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a professor and expert of modern autocracy, finds that Trump’s actions draw parallels to the behavior of others throughout history, including Benito Mussolini. But her faith in American voters to “interrupt an autocratic personality who’s in the middle of his project,” proved to be entirely valid.

The midterm elections are often viewed as a referendum on the president in power. But this year, they were more so a referendum on the ex-president who refuses to back down. Last Tuesday’s election resulted in the fewest loss of seats in the House of Representatives than any other Democratic President’s first midterm in the last 40 years. While Biden’s approval rating is low, his party’s pro-democracy stance is rightly keeping Congress largely blue.

Youth voters of SU and other college campuses alike have proven that their priorities lie with the continued protection of critical rights and democracy. As students, educating ourselves politically is a way to influence both federal and state politics, both of which directly affect our livelihoods. Even though there was a great voter turnout, there can be more. College students need to realize that our votes matter.

Stefanie Mitchell is a freshman Economics major. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at smitch25@syr.edu.

Published on November 13, 2022 at 10:28 pm