Every U.S. representative and one-third of senators will be elected on Tuesday. Many state and local offices are also on the ballot, including the governor in some states.

The last midterm elections, in 2022, had a voter turnout rate of just 46.2%, meaning less than half of eligible voters cast their ballots. For contrast, the 2024 presidential election had a turnout of 63.9%, according to the University of Florida Election Lab. 

Midterms can, however, have a large impact on the

political landscape. 

Voces Fuertes, Goshen College’s immigrant advocacy group, stood outside the Westlawn Dining Hall and explained the importance of voting, even in local elections. 

Ariana Montiel, a leader of  Voces Fuertes, said, “Local elections are for like the school board and for judges. … It’s important to have trust in the people who are leading these offices,” she said. According to a Gallup poll, trust in local governments remains the highest of any level of government.

While 67% of Americans trust their local government and 59% trust their state government, only 37% trust the federal government in terms of handling

domestic affairs.

About two dozen people registered to vote during the event, which the group considers a success. Montiel said, “It was honestly more than I

had expected.”

Mafe Aguilar Vargas is also a leader of Voces Fuertes. She said, “What’s important to me is for other people to be able to speak about what they think

is important.”

“They should be able to speak even if I don’t agree with them,” Aguilar Vargas said.

Montiel agreed. “Advocating for people to state their mind and what they think is important,”

she said.

The UF Election Lab reported that in the 2022 midterms, Indiana had the fourth-lowest voter turnout rate of any state in the nation, at just 37.48%. Around 67% of GC students are

Indiana residents, raising the stakes for voter registration efforts at the college.

GC does not report statistics on voter turnout among its students. However, college students are less likely to vote than the average citizen. In 2024, the Tufts University Tisch College of Civic Life reported that 53% of eligible students voted. 

The Voces Fuertes team urged people to vote in groups. “Don’t go by yourself. Go in groups of three, four people. Make it fun!” Aguilar Vargas said.