Time to vote! Actually, voting already happened in Delaware. You might have heard your parents discussing who to vote for. We as teenagers might believe that the elections have nothing to do with us when it has everything to do with us. Obviously, the Upper School of WFS are high schoolers but we should still know who is going to represent our community. We are the next generation to vote. It is important to research the people who want to represent our community. Some information we should regard is what the party stands for, how they will better our community, and what makes them stand out from the rest of the parties. 

One of Delaware’s representatives is Lisa Blunt Rochester, she has been in office since 2017; she is a Democrat. This Congresswoman also serves as an Assistant Whip for House Leadership. An Assistant Whip is a position where the person is responsible for assisting the party leadership in bringing the party’s bills to the House floor, maintaining communication between the leadership of the party and its members, counting votes on key legislation, and persuading Members to vote for the party position. Rochester is geared towards lowering the cost of healthcare for middle and lower-class families. She is an advocate for communities of color, our country’s drug addiction issue, and more. Also, she is the first woman and African American to represent Delaware in Congress. She has made an immense impact on Delaware.

We hear the term Democratic party all over the world, especially during elections. But what does this term really mean? The google definition in simple terms will tell you “a person who believes in and upholds government by the people; advocate of rule by the majority.” The detailed answer is “the Democratic Party generally represents left-leaning, liberal, and progressive ideological values, thus advocating for a strong government to regulate business and support for the citizens of the United States. Thus, one of the key values emphasized by Democrats is social responsibility.” Democrats often support the heavy taxation of high-income households. Additionally, they support government-funded healthcare and believe that all U.S. citizens should have access to health and social services. Lastly, Democrats support women’s legal rights to free abortion and LGBTQ+ people’s rights to equal treatment under the law. 

Meanwhile, the Republican party has different definitions and beliefs. The definition is often regarded to support right-leaning ideologies of conservatism, social conservatism, and economic libertarianism. Thus, it is widely considered that Republicans broadly advocate for traditional values, a low degree of government interference, and large support of the private sector. Some things the Republicans support are family and individual rights, businesses to exist in a free market instead of being impacted by tight government regulations, religious freedom, and the right to bear arms. Additionally, the party values a powerful national defense and a strong military to provide increased security and peace. Delaware doesn’t have any representatives that support the Republican party. Therefore, Delaware is a democratic state.

Despite being teenagers, we should still learn why voting is important and how it benefits society. Originally, only wealthy white male citizens over the age of 21 were able to vote. Now voting is available to all, it allows everyone to offer a viewpoint. In addition, U.S. citizens have a responsibility to participate in their government by registering to vote and voting in elections. By voting, citizens have a voice in their government. For an election to be free and fair, certain civil liberties, such as the freedoms of speech, association, and assembly, are required. Citizens vote for leaders to represent them and their ideas, and the leaders support the citizens’ interests. There are two special rights only for U.S. citizens: voting in federal elections and running for federal office.