This Tuesday, November 6th, is Election Day. It’s finally time to celebrate the end of the aesthetically unappealing campaign posters on everyone’s lawns. More importantly, it is the 2018 midterm elections, and along with the 5th District’s Congressional race, New Jersey has a Senate seat up for grabs.

Currently, Republicans control the White House and both houses of Congress. Should Democrats succeed in Tuesday’s election, they would take back the either the House of Representatives and possibly even the Senate, making it harder for President Trump to pass his agenda.

Many political experts suggest midterm elections are merely contests to see which party is best at driving its base to the polls. Midterm voter turnout is typically much lower, as many independents and politically unengaged citizens tend to lack the motivation to go to the polls. Also, absent the circus of a presidential campaign, there is usually less enthusiasm among all voters, and the election isn’t covered wall-to-wall by the media.

The national voter turnout rate in 2012, the year of the Obama-Romney campaign, was 57.5%. The following midterm election of 2014 saw a turnout rate of 36.4%, a 72-year record low, according to PBS. Among young people, these rates are even lower.

There are very few things today that are truly bipartisan. Luckily, one sacrosanct principle that both Republicans and Democrats uphold is that everyone, with an informed opinion, should get out and vote.

A noticeable trend is that candidates in both the 5th Congressional District and Senate races have relatively moderate positions. Therefore, the candidates do not necessarily echo the most extreme sentiments their respective parties hold.

Here are some things you should know before voting this Tuesday, November 6th (unless otherwise noted, all information comes from the candidates’ official websites):

US Senate Race: Incumbent Bob Menendez (D) faces a challenge from Bob Hugin (R)

• A Republican has not won a US Senate Race in New Jersey since Clifford Case was re-elected to his final term in office in 1972.
• According to Real Clear Politics, Menendez enjoys a 7.6 point advantage over Hugin. At no point in recent weeks has Hugin lead in the polls; however, most pollsters are hesitant to simply write this election off as a certain victory for the Democrats.
• Menendez was recently embroiled in a corruption scandal involving receiving gifts in exchange for doing favors for a wealthy Florida doctor. That trial ended in a hung jury and a mistrial.
• Hugin is a former pharmaceutical executive. It is his first time seeking elected office. He previously served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention as a supporter of then-candidate Donald Trump, and later on his transition team.

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US House of Representatives Race: Incumbent Josh Gottheimer (D) battles in his first re-election race against John McCann (R)

• A freshman representative, this is Gottheimer’s first campaign since unseating incumbent Scott Garrett in ( R ) in 2016.
• Gottheimer won the district by 4 points, while Trump took a narrow, 1 point victory, two years ago.

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