This year’s midterm election is shaping up to be one of the most significant in recent history, with record-high participation rates and advertisement campaigns similar to those of presidential elections. The sheer volume of commercials and the money invested in said commercials attests to the importance of the polls in deciding which party will hold the senate and house. 

One of the major issues on the front of Americans’ minds is inflation. This past month has been over-inundated with economic reports from various reputable sources warning of the immediate threat of inflation. Notably, Bloomberg News predicted with 100% certainty that there would be a recession in the next year. 

Junior Audrey Stankunas says one cause of inflation is the Russian war in Ukraine. In a global effort to sanction Russia and harm its economy, the United States has limited Russian oil imports, which means a heavier reliance on OPEC. Stankunas summarizes OPEC as “a collaboration of the largest oil exporting countries around the world” which collectively determine oil prices. 

OPEC just recently reduced their exports to increase the price of oil, which will send shockwaves through the global economy as gas prices once again become exorbitant, like those witnessed during the height of the pandemic. 

She says that OPEC cutting down on oil sales is only helping Russia, as it allows the nation to underline oil sales, which presents a serious test to countries with Russian sanctions, particularly oil-dependent nations in Europe. “How much are you willing to let your people suffer for the suffering Russia is causing in Ukraine?” Stankunas asked. 

Although the US has attempted to combat this by tapping into national oil reserves, Stankunas describes this effort as “a little drop in a big pool” in that it will contribute little to suppressing the impending recession. Her fear is that the increase in gas prices will snowball in combination with the lasting effects of Bidens Covid Relief legislation and the immense debt it plunged the economy into. 

This reality juxtaposed against the backdrop of global labor shortages and Chinese labor restrictions given the shipping container crisis is “putting it lightly, highly concerning” according to Stankunas. Even more concerning is President Biden downplaying of the severity of the situation, as given the plethora of warning data, he said a “very slight recession is possible.”

Sankunas says all of this could have been avoided if we invested more money in green energy and public transportation decades ago so that there would be no reliance on foreign oil imports or the depletion of US reserves. 

This threat has perpetrated the minds of young adults as 17 of 20 seniors at Granville High School think the economy is in trouble. On a national level, a poll conducted by CNN asked voters to rate a series of different issues on a scale from “extremely important” to “not that important” and 9 in 10 registered voters said they considered the economy very important. 

This stance is particularly strong within the Republican party and early midterm forecasts predict high voter turnout that will likely cause a change in congressional majority to the red. 

Also pressing the seniors is the recent Supreme Court Decision overruling the 1973 landmark case, Roe v Wade. The court decided that a woman’s right to an abortion was not guaranteed by the constitution, which effectively left each state responsible for determining the legality of abortion. 

This decision was quickly followed by the implementation of many “trigger laws” across the nation. Trigger laws are legislation that becomes enforced when a key change in circumstance occurs. Therefore, when the Supreme Court’s decision came out, many states like Tennessee, Idaho, and Texas had already drafted legislation in the form of trigger laws that immediately took effect to illegalize abortions. 

For many young women, this represented a regression in rights that was unbelievable given the context of modern society. Some seniors say the decision ignited rage and feelings of helplessness, inciting historically detached and misinformed persons to make active strives for comprehension to be educated voters in their first election. 

Granville High School seniors Mia Zink and Emery Johnson just recently turned eighteen and they have prioritized registering to vote in their first midterm. Zink stated that the overturn of the landmark decision served as motivation to exercise her voice in the upcoming election. 

Johnson states that voting in the midterm elections is made even more important as a young woman, as this right has not always been secure. She elaborates that the end of Roe v Wade was a shock to her system. “It is a human right taken away,” Johnson said. 

Wherever you lie on the political spectrum, the Blueprints staff encourages you to use your voice and exercise your democratic right to vote in this midterm election. Good luck to all the candidates and we’ll see you at the polls!