As we inch closer to the long-awaited midterm election there are a few hot topics you
should know about before casting your vote.
Though the presidential position won’t be up for grabs this November, many
congressional seats are. The 2022 midterms will task constituents, as voters will need to select
state representatives that support their views on hard-hitting matters and enforce them in both
the House and Senate.
In July, I had the opportunity to represent The Clarion in Columbus, Ohio, at the Midterm
Essentials: Deep Dive on Key Policy Issues, a workshop hosted by Poynter. The Poynter
Institute, based out of St. Petersburg, Florida, serves as a non-profit organization that aims to
educate journalists while maintaining a strong focus on how to avoid misinformation.
Led by leading field specialists, attendees were exposed to fact-checked and peer-
reviewed analytics on pressing term issues. First of which is the emerging threat of climate
change.
Emmy Award-winning meteorologist Bernadette Woods Placky, who acts as the Chief
Meteorologist and Program Director at Climate Central, wants Americans to know that the
global climate crisis is real—not a hoax. During her presentation, Placky highlighted many eye-
opening figures. However, Placky provided a statistic by the European Centre for Medium-
Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) that puts our climate’s fate into stark perspective. Without
climate control, by the year 2100, Ohio can expect to see a 7.9°F increase in Summer
temperatures. So, what does this mean? It means that Ohio and surrounding states will start
maintaining a climate similar to that of Shreveport, Louisiana. “Louisiana and other southern
states will start seeing climates comparable to that of the Middle East,” says Placky.
I also had the chance to sit in on a conversation with author, Eppy winner, and The
Overshoot founder, Matthew Klein. Klein has quite the reputation as he’s held jobs at the
Economist, Bloomberg, and The Financial Times just to name a few. “The public views inflation
as the top problem facing the United States— and no other concern comes close” say’s, Klein
as he underscores a 2022 survey from the Pew Research Center. The poll showed that 70% of
the adults surveyed viewed inflation as a “very big problem in the country today”.
Larry Levitt, the Executive Vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) also
took to the stage. Levitt centered his talking points around the major healthcare and drug cost
issues that congress is facing, such as drug price regulation. From requiring inflation rebates to
limit annual increases, capping out-of-pocket spending at 2,000 per year, to even reducing the
price of insulin to $35 per month for Medicare and private insurance enrollees, Levitt made note
of the many stances that are currently being considered in Congress. After consulting public
opinion, the KFF found that a majority of Americans favor the Medicare negotiation, even across
party lines.
Though, these are just a few of the topics you should consider before heading out to
your local polling location. Expect to see representatives supporting varying stances
surrounding abortion, gun control, and immigration on your ballot as well. Remember,
democracy is in the hands of the people. So, save the date for November 8th.
Zawna Woodard
Reporter