Getting Ready for the Midterm Elections

Although the weather was cold, that did not stop students from attending a town hall meeting on campus. The second in this series of town hall meetings, this meeting on Oct. 16, focused on local candidates for office and their political stances. In attendance at the event were nearly 40 students, faculty, and local citizens, including candidate for the Allegany County Board of Education, Carmen B. Jackson. Students at the event were encouraged to register to vote, as Oct. 16 was the last day to register.

The only local candidate in attendance, Jackson, was eager to speak her part in the meeting. She noted that she was glad to have made it through the primary election and that as a potential member of the Board of Education she would like to focus on bullying in schools. Jackson remembered personal stories about students being bullied and said, “we have to work together to change that.” She remarked that fixing bullying in schools is not the job of one person, but many people. Above all, Jackson said that we must “learn and teach civility to our young people.” Jackson is one of eight people running for four positions on the school board, and she endorsed three other candidates running for the Board of Education: Terry Lynn Kasekamp, Debra Frank, and Nicholas T. Hadley.

Meeting coordinator Tim McGrath, Executive Director for the Beall Institute for Public Affairs, emphasized the importance of student participation in the upcoming election. “Democracy is participation,” he said. He also emphasized the need for voters to understand candidates, as well as those candidates’ platforms. To that end, McGrath recommended that students use www.vote411.org to educate themselves before the election.

The upcoming election is no small affair – all of the seats in the U.S. House of Representatives will be open for election, and 33 U.S. Senate seats will be open for election as well. This means that this election could shift the power balance within the halls of Congress, depending on voter turnout and campaign results. The seats of 33 Governors (36 if including U.S. territories) will also be up for election, including the office of Maryland’s Governor.

Multiple issues were brought up at the meeting, including many of which continue to be hot-button topics since the 2016 elections. Affordable healthcare and college, gerrymandering, public school safety, the raising of the minimum wage, and the handling of the opioid crisis were topics that took the forefront in candid debate at the meeting. The third and final town hall meeting about the upcoming election will be on Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. in the Lane Center.

Voter registration in Maryland ended on Oct. 16, and Election Day is less than three weeks away. Early voting opens in Maryland on Oct. 25 and closes on Nov. 1. Polling locations will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. More information about the upcoming election can be found on the Maryland State Board of elections website, www.elections.maryland.gov.

Who can Frostburg residents expect to see on their ballots?

Visit www.vote411.org for more information about these candidates, as well as for information about other races taking place in Frostburg and Maryland.