There are seniors at Holy Family, like myself, who (hopefully) participated in their first elections this fall! US Midterm Elections, held on November 8, determined critical positions that shape the future political landscape. This Midterm Election controled the following:

• ALL 435 House of Representatives seats
• 35 (of 100) Senate seats
• 39 (36 states, 3 territories) governor

As a first-time voter, I easily navigated the process of registering to vote in Colorado. I received my ballot in the mail a few days after registering online. I briefly looked over the ballot and then research the candidates/propositions. I will link the site I found useful from American Government with Mrs. Marck. I also reviewed Colorado’s Blue Book. 

I never seriously thought about my political affiliation until registering to vote. Though I know where I stand with specific issues, I do not know how said issues align with political parties. The ads on television did an awful job portraying all candidates.

Though I may have some personal bias toward Joe O’Dea, because I have competed with him and his wife Celeste since I started with horses; I wanted to look at his position/agenda before blatantly voting for him. I had a preconceived notion about Joe O’Dea because of ads. The ads portrayed Joe as a candidate completely opposed to abortion rights. The overturning on Roe v. Wade forced me to seriously contemplate my stance on abortion. This is a critical issue to me as an eighteen-year-old female.

With a simple click on Joe’s website, I learned Joe’s values align with mine more than I initially thought.  He summarizes his stance as “You live your life, I’ll live mine.” This experience reminded me of the importance of voter responsibility. I am guilty of forgetting the value in voting. I want to try to not participate in partisan politics that drives the political unrest amongst citizens.

Though the outcome of the election was unfavorable to Joe, I am happy to hear other HFHS students share their experience!