The 2026 midterm elections begin on Nov. 3, causing students at the University of Rhode Island to start thinking about their decision to vote.
Midterm elections are held halfway through the four-year presidential term. Citizens have the chance to vote for all offices besides the president and vice-president. For many first and second-year students, this is their first opportunity to vote.
“You deserve to have your voice heard,” second-year Chuck Lemieux said, and your “interests valued and acted upon.”
In a recent Instagram poll conducted on Sept 18., 86% of responding students agree with Lemieux, that they will be voting in the upcoming election. According to fourth-year Bethany Slater, voting is absolutely essential.
“It’s a civic duty,” Slater stated. “Congress is our direct representative in the federal government.”
URI students seem to be leaning towards voting Democrat–76% to be exact, according to the poll. Of the other students who replied to the poll, 5% are planning to vote for the Republican party and 19% are planning to vote independently or for another party. Rhode Island is a blue state, explaining the large gap between voters. Since 1900, Rhode Island has voted democratically 68.8% of the time, according to Ballotpedia.
A few people who responded to the poll even implied that the current administration is “evil,” “horrible” or “bad guys.” Several students are very passionate about voting democratically to change the current state of the government. However, some students are eager to vote regardless of where it is going.
“No matter what side you identify with, every vote matters,” URI alumna Casey Chan-Smutko said.
As midterm elections grow closer, URI students begin to think about them more. Students only have six weeks to educate themselves and make their decisions. First-year Sean Aguirre highly urges them to do so.
“If you don’t vote, you are giving your power to those who are voting,” Aguirre said.
Wondering how to vote? Visit vote.sos.ri.gov to register. Voters must be at least 18, a United States citizen. Non-Rhode Island residents may cast an absentee ballot or vote by mail based on the instructions provided by their home state. Visit voter information to verify personal information and identity, and even complete a practice ballot to become familiar with the process.
Next, determine the best place to submit your vote by using the polling place lookup tool. For reference, polling places are typically open from 7:00 a.m to 8:00 p.m. Once there, check in with the poll workers by providing name, address, and a valid photo ID. You may mark your ballot manually or digitally. You could use a pen and paper for multiple choice voting, or use ExpressVote to digitally complete the ballot and print it after. Finally, place your vote into the secrecy folder and voting machine.
