This election cycle, Pennsylvania finds its most important seats up for grabs. After incumbent Governor Tom Wolf and Senator Pat Toomey’s decisions not to run again were released, the 2022 midterm cycle is hotter than ever. Every American is getting ready for the election, and Southern Lehigh is no exception.

Senior Eleanor Corvino, vice president of Democrats of Southern Lehigh, is hard at work for Election Day.

 “I am a fellow on the Susan Wild campaign, so I’m also part of the Southern Lehigh action team which means at our canvassing events,” Corvino said. “I help run training, get things organized, set up, and get the new volunteers out the door; then I go out and canvas with them!” 

Canvassing is a campaign tactic where volunteers go door-to-door in various locations to express support and convince residents to vote for their candidate of choice. Corvino spoke highly of her time working on the incumbent Congressional Representative Wild’s campaign, sharing her passion for working with a specific candidate.

“She’s very practical [and] down to earth,” Corvino said.

However, some students struggle with finding a candidate they associate with. Senior Jonathan Behrens, president of Young Conservatives, expressed his frustration over difficulty in finding a candidate’s real platform. 

“It’s either an ad attacking the opponent or accusing them of being a crony for some party leader,” Behrens said.

However, Behrens was still enthusiastic about midterms and voiced his support for students who care about the election.

“While we cannot vote right now, we’re going to be able to. It’s important to know that even though in the midterm you’re not choosing the president, it can still really define the legislature, which is huge,” Behrens said. “The president has little to no power compared to the  legislature. We have the opportunity to change the House to Republicans, which would be crazy for everybody.”

Behrens isn’t the only one who’s excited for the potential weight of this midterm. Sophomore Jaclyn Bossert has been hard at work, making calls and campaigning for Democratic candidate John Fetterman, who is currently running for U.S. Senate.

“We’re seeing so many battle states being determined. Specifically, of course, is Pennsylvania. The Senate is so split right now because we would really flip it with people like Fetterman,” Bossert said. “We also have governor races, which is so important in PA because we really aren’t sure if it’ll flip red [or not].”

Though a majority of students cannot vote this cycle, there are a few who will be voting for the very first time. Social studies teacher Mr. Thomas Beaupre offered advice to first-time voters.

“We’ve lost some of the appreciation for voting because people often believe that their vote doesn’t really matter and in the end it won’t make a difference. But we should remember how hard many people fought for this right in our past and how many people throughout the world still don’t have this right,” Mr. Beaupre said. “So I would say, just make sure you do it and have pride in what is an important milestone in your life. You will always remember it.”