“Voting is a civic duty that people sacrificed their lives for,” a MA student at UL has told the Limerick Voice about being an American living in Ireland.
THE US Midterm Elections began this morning with the first polls opening in Vermont at 5am EST (10am GMT).
One University of Limerick student will be watching developments in Kentucky closely, where a Senate seat is up for grabs.
MA Student at UL, Sonnet Mungyeh, has emphasised the importance of the postal vote. ”Fundamentally, I believe voting is a civic duty that people sacrificed their lives for,” she said.
While in-person polls opened today, US citizens, except for those residing in Alabama, Mississippi and New Hampshire, were able to vote early and mail in ballots from different states and abroad.
”While my vote is one of millions, I believe it’s important to have your voice heard. Life is so crazy right now and the government needs to reflect what the people want.”
”I got my ballot electronically and mailed it to the county clerk’s office in Kentucky. I wish I had the option to fax it, but it isn’t allowed in that state,” she added.
Midterm elections are a key time in US politics. They take place two years into a president’s term and can determine the faith of the political party in power. Currently, the Republican Party holds the white house seat with Donald Trump as president.
During this election, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 out of 100 seats in the Senate are up for grabs in the senate. In Mungyeh’s home state of Kentucky, the two candidates running for the Senate seat are Charles Brooke (Democrat) and Andy Barr (Republican).
Republicans currently hold a majority in both houses, with a 53-47 majority in the Senate and 218-214 in the House of Representatives. Democrats must win four seats in the lower house to gain control.
Midterms can be a deciding factor for how easily President Trump can pass legislation through Congress. Voting has been highly encouraged by both democrats and republicans over the past few months.
Mungyeh shared, ”While my vote is one of millions, I believe it’s important to have your voice heard. Life is so crazy right now and the government needs to reflect what the people want.”
While living in Ireland, Mungyeh has seen it as ”nice to be separated from all of the political ads” in the US. Despite this, she still encourages everyone to vote in the elections
”I hope that everyday people can reassess their priorities and remember that their voices matter. I don’t want people to give up on the democratic process just because things feel hopeless.”
Polling stations will remain open until 1am EST (6am GMT) where Alaska will be the last to close.