FIS Students Speak on the 2018 U.S. Midterm Elections

Following the 2018 U.S. Midterm Elections, I decided to conduct a series of interviews with politically engaged FIS students in hopes of getting students talking about pertinent issues in today’s society. The elections have sparked controversy on the national and international scale, shifting the tides of global politics as we currently see them. However, not only are the global elite responding to the elections, but also students around the globe. With students becoming more and more involved with politics, it is important to take into consideration their point of view along with their concerns. Throughout these interviews I hope to convey the passion and engagement seen within the FIS community surrounding political issues.

The outcome of the elections were as followed:

Within the house of representatives, the Republican party lost control of the majority, and the Democrats increased their presence in the House to 235 seats. In the Senate, Republicans increased their presence by 2 seats, to a comfortable 53.

Interview #1 With FIS Student

Interviewer: Do you identify with a political party?

Student: “Yes. Democratic Party.”

Interviewer: Are you happy with the results, and why?

Student: “Partially, yes. I’m happy that the Democrats got the house, and I’m happy that it will be able to set up the election of 2020 in favor of the Democrats. It also calms my mind that Democrats will have control of the house when I’m old enough to vote.”

Interviewer: Why do you want your party to have control of the house/senate?

Student: “Because I think that over the last 2 years of Trumps presidency, we have not seen balance in government. With Democrats winning the house, a more equal representation will be seen in our government.”

Interviewer: Did a particular candidate stick out to you?

Student: “I have been more focused on the overall showing of Democrats in states such as Virginia (my home state). I was very happy with the Democratic showing, and the representation of various minority groups in the elections as a whole.”

Interviewer: Do you have any other comments that you would like to add?

Student: “I don’t like the outcome of the election because it has divided female voters on both sides of the political spectrum. I believe that all women should stick together and be united rather than fighting against each other. I think that the Brett Kavanaugh hearing greatly influenced the turnout of female voters for both sides.”

Interview #2 With FIS Student

Interviewer: Do you identify with a political party?

Student: “Yes, I’m a conservative.”

Interviewer: Are you happy with the results, and why?

Student: “I’m happy with the Senate results, but not the house results because I support the republican movement to take the house and am saddened by the loss of the Senate to the Democrats.”

Interviewer: Why do you want your party to have control of the house/senate?

Student: “I believe that with the whole bombardment of countless scandals, there has been so much attention on all of the bad things that the Republicans are doing (and how saintly the Democrats are) and I believe that the extreme rhetoric from the Democrats in these various scandals have been detrimental to the overall state of politics. Boundaries must be drawn in politics and they aren’t being drawn with liberals in power. The way our citizens view politics is being shaped wrongly by these groups and that is why I believe Republicans should gain power.”

Interviewer: Did a particular candidate stick out to you?

Student: “I was more focused on the election as a whole as opposed to certain candidate races. Unfortunately, I was unable to delve deeper into the politics but am currently in the process of doing so.”

Interviewer: Do you have any other comments that you would like to add, or would you like to respond to anything said in Interview #1?

Student: “I would like to address the comment made in (Interview #1), We have a huge population and we cannot expect women to all have the same opinion, therefore it is unreasonable to claim that they should all have the same opinion. I do not believe that females should have to have the same beliefs, they should formulate their own opinions and not act based on “mob mentality”. In order to have a perfect democracy you must have two opinions.”

As seen throughout these two extensive discussions, FIS students are actively engaged in politics around the world. While the perspectives shared by both students drastically differ, they are united by their passion and their interest in the subject. Facilitating open dialogue is important not only for politicians, but also students in our local community. I urge everyone to participate in and facilitate open discussion in their own social groups or communities, in hopes of creating a more informed understanding political environment for everyone.