For most, the election means picking a president. While this is a weighty decision, it is only one of many decisions to be made during an election year.
If you haven’t heard enough information about Barack Obama or Mitt Romney, then you probably have been living in a van down by the river, sans radio.
What about your senators and representatives?
The congressional race shares many commonalities with the Tour De France. Every four years, both become important again, yet no one pays attention until someone gets caught cheating.
Voting is invalidated if the person doing the voting is not informed or simply doesn’t care about empty chairs in the House of Representatives or Senate.
They are the ones the American people should focus on. The House and Senate are, one could argue, more important than the president.
For example, Mitt Romney has proposed a new plan that would cut taxes for Americans, which senators and representatives will have the final say on.
Ask Barack Obama about his plan to close Guantanamo Bay. The current President will tell you that his plan was voted down by Congress.
In Michigan, the current representative of the first district is Dan Benishek (R) and the current senator up for reelection is Debbie Stabenow (D).
Pete Hoekstra is the Republican candidate running against Debbie Stabenow. The differences between Stabenow and Hoekstra are not radical.
Both agree that spending needs to be curbed in Congress; that the economy needs to grow so that Americans can find work; and that the United States should focus on domestic issues.
The differences—besides the obvious ideological and social stances that are indicative of each party—can be boiled down to health care and taxes.
Stabenow endorses the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Hoekstra does not.
Choosing Michigan’s next senator is important, and students should choose the candidate they agree with.
Dan Benishek and Gary McDowell are the two men applying for the job.
Benishek advocates for a different health care reform than Obama’s plan. McDowell wants to improve the current Medicare system so that it better serves the American people.
Both Benishek and McDowell share similar views on the major issues: health care, the economy, jobs and Homeland Security.
All of the politicians running in these two races agree on the big issues but differ on social issues, such as abortion and the role that religion plays in government affairs. Stabenow, McDowell, Hoekstra and Benishek align themselves with their party, as do most politicians.
Romney or Obama, depending which one wins, will have to gain the support of these men and women to get legislation passed in Congress.
Michigan voters need to head to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 6 and choose the candidate that will work the hardest for his or her constituents.
Vote for the candidate who will do the most for Michigan.
When students, faculty, staff and community members head to the polls, they should remember to vote for the state representative and senator as well as for the president.
While Romney or Obama will lead the country in a new direction, the president will face the checks and balances present in American government.
Your vote will, at the very least, give you the right to complain about politicians for the next four years.
At the most, your vote will help form the voice of Michigan in Congress and the White House.
Stop adding such weight to the position of the presidency and start balancing the responsibility of voting for more than just one individual this election season.