My Vote | Blog
These elections held on November 8 are crucial. They will decide control of the House of Representatives and the Senate until at least 2024, and Ohio was among the states which spent time in the national spotlight. Having decided on voting in person, I shuffled early in the morning on November 8th to vote before going along my way. Many of the candidates on the ballot I recognized, but there were a few I wish I’d spent more time researching during the race. Particularly of interest to me was the race for one senate seat, which JD Vance picked. I voted for Tim Ryan but was unsure if he’d come out on top. Ultimately this turned out to be true for him, as well as other candidates in different races I voted for. While some of the candidates I chose didn’t win, I was happy to see Chris Ronayne be elected as Cuyahoga County executive.
Something I’d like to touch on briefly is that of voter turnout. Turnout in Cuyahoga county was low, with the city of Cleveland only managing 29 percent according to Cleveland.com. Low voter turnout is an issue, especially with areas with marginalized people with whom policies at the local and state level are crucial to day-to-day life. One way I think this could be solved is by making Election Day a federal holiday. While in Ohio salaried workers cannot have pay reduced for time spent voting, those paid hourly do not have the same protections. People with a lower income could have more difficulties or suffer grater financial burden missing time to vote.
I recall an experience at my last job, working the day of the Democratic primary, when Shontel Brown and Nina Turner faced off once more over redrawn districts. I asked some of my coworkers if they vote, but many didn’t get off work before the polls closed. Others didn’t have a car or reliable transportation, which could make getting from our job location to their poll difficult. If democracy in this country is to work, the election process needs to be further modernized and streamlined. There is no reason in my opinion that voting, a crucial right for U.S citizens, should be denied to those just because they aren’t well off enough.
