Voting on your future: what are midterm elections, and why do they matter to you?

** Objectives

Students should be able to:

* understand why the upcoming midterm elections are important to them;

* gain enough familiarity with three top issues to be able to follow news stories related to the upcoming elections.

** Word to Know

* primary: a vote held before a main election, ill which members of a political party choose their official candidate.

** Background

With this year's midterms, political observers say that the Democrats have a chance to take control of one or both houses of Congress. Democrats would need a net gain of 15 seats to win the House of Representatives. In the Senate, they would need a gain of 7 seats.

* Critical Thinking

USING CONTEXT CLUES: The U.S. Congress (House and Senate) has how many members? (535. There are 435 members in the House and 100 in the Senate)

FORMING SUPPORTED OPINIONS: Which of the three main issues presented in this article is most important to you? Why? (Answers will vary, but should be supported with reasoned facts.)

** Activity

DECISIONS 2006: Have students pick one of the races in this article to keep track of (or one closer to home). Before the election, discuss: Who do you think will win, and why? After the election, find out who did win. How many students had projected that candidate as winner?

STANDARD

SOCIAL STUDIES, GRADES 5-8

** Civic ideals and practices:

While not as attention-grabbing as presidential elections, midterm results have great impact on the government and citizens' lives.

RESOURCES

PRINT

** Klee, Sheila, Volunteering for a Political Campaign (Scholastic Library Publishing, 2006). Grades 6-12.

** Landau, Elaine, Friendly Foes: A Look at Political Parties (Lerner Publishing Group, 2004). Grades 6-12.

WEB SITES

** America Votes 2006 cnn.com/ELECTION/2006

** Midterm Election USA 2006 (dates & data] thegreenpapers.com

Do you have a friend or loved one serving in the military? Are you concerned about another terrorist attack on the United States? Do you worry about global warming?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you have a lot at stake in next month's midterm elections. On November ?, voters will elect 33 of 100 U.S. Senators and all 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Republicans now control Congress, but midterm elections could shift control to the Democrats. If that happens, President George W. Bush, a Republican, will have more trouble pushing through his agenda.

Midterm elections allow Americans to speak directly to their leaders about the issues of the day, said Alexander Lamis, a professor of political science at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. Even though kids can't vote, he said, the issues being decided affect them deeply. "Young people need to recognize that their future is being determined by policies the government is carrying out right now," Lamis told JS. "These elections are very important for the kind of life they will be leading [as adults]."

Here are three top issues that candidates across the U.S. are debating.

1 THE WAR IN IRAQ

Why it matters to you: The decision to stay or leave Iraq could be passed on to your generation.

According to a recent poll by The New York Times and CBS News, 53 percent of Americans think that waging war in Iraq was a mistake. That thinking affected Connecticut's Democratic primary for Senator. Incumbent Senator Joe Lieberman lost. Many Connecticut voters said that was because he supports an unpopular war.

"Iraq has now become ... another battlefield in [a] war with Islamic terrorists," Lieberman said. "We've got to end it with a victory."

The primary winner, Ned Lamont, opposes the war. "Republicans have weakened this country," he said, "because the military is bogged down in a civil war in Iraq."

Lieberman is staying in the race--as an independent. Besides Lamont and Lieberman, Alan Schlesinger, the Republican candidate, will be on the ballot.

2 THE TREAT OF TERRORISM

Why it matters to you: Politicians today are deciding how to keep Americans safe in the future.

Over the summer, authorities in London, England, uncovered a terrorist bomb plot similar to the 9/11 attacks. Americans again asked difficult questions. Can the U.S. keep its borders secure? Do some antiterrorism programs threaten Americans' civil liberties?

Minnesota's candidates for the U.S. Senate are wrestling with these questions. Said Mark Kennedy, the Republican candidate, "If Al Qaeda is calling somebody in America, it is in our national security interest to know who they are calling and why."

Democrat Amy Klobuchar believes that "We need to strengthen [Homeland Security's] national response plan. I will work to make the national response plan more than just a piece of paper--ensuring that all federal, state, and local governments know and train for their role."

3 ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Why it matters to you: Saving our environment may mean finding alternative sources of energy.

Chuck Porcari of the League of Conservation Voters says that saving the environment is the most important issue. This means finding alternative sources of energy, he told JS. "Do we want to leave our children a sick planet?"

Candidates in one California congressional district are fighting an intense battle over energy. Republican incumbent Richard Pombo supports drilling for oil off the coast of California. "This gives California greater security," he said. Such security, according to Pombo, includes jobs, energy independence, "lower energy prices, and a stronger economy."

Democratic challenger Jerry McNerney said that "we cannot drill our way to energy independence. Our nation needs a real energy plan ... based on new energy technology and an emphasis on conservation."

Words to Know

* agenda: a set of policies and proposed goals.

* incumbent: current office holder.

* midterm: occurring halfway through a political term in office.

QUICK QUIZ

** Use a name, word, or phrase from this list to correctly complete each sentence.

Alaska, California, civil liberties, civil wars, Democratic primary, energy independence, global warming, Governors, House members, Iraq, Mark Kennedy, Amy Klobuchar, Ned Lamont, Joe Lieberman, Michigan, midterm election, Republican primary, Senators

1. In this November's elections, voters will choose 33--.

2. House incumbent Richard Pombo supports drilling for oil off the coast of--.

3. Connecticut's incumbent Senator is--.

4. He failed to win Connecticut's--.

5. Many candidates are debating whether antiterrorism programs threaten--.

ANSWERS

1. Senators

2. California

3. Joe Lieberman

4. Democratic primary

5. civil liberties