This year, Iowa is having one of the most important elections in its history. All four of Iowa’s seats in the House of Representatives are up for grabs.
On top of that, the Iowa governorship will be made available because Kim Reynolds is retiring. Senator Joni Ernst has declined to run again, meaning there will be a new U.S. senator from Iowa as well.
I strongly advise that voter literacy be at the top of everyone’s list because we live in a truly globalized world. Something that happens in another country will impact us in Iowa and it’s always important to look at the broader situation in which the world finds itself.
The world situation directly affects the U.S. and you. The most pressing issue for us Americans is the Iran war, which is directly impacting all citizens of the world through increased gas prices. However, for agriculture-based economies like Iowa, things are getting even worse as farmers need fuel for crop production to power their equipment.
Without these things, the farmers can’t grow their crops. If they can’t grow their crops, there is nothing to sell. If there’s nothing to sell, they don’t make any money, and if they don’t make any money, the Iowan economy tanks.
The undeniable truth is that until peace is achieved, we can’t rationally expect that prices will get lower.
This is why we can’t ignore the world situation no matter how tempting it may seem. The votes we cast as Americans are much more important than some may think.
We also cannot ignore the growing AI competition between America and China. Large language models, such as ChatGPT and China’s DeepSeek, are already affecting technology prices, energy use and water consumption. These issues show why we cannot simply ignore what is happening around the world.
The senate race will be between Republican Ashley Hinson and Democrat Josh Turek. The governor’s race will be between Zach Lahn, Republican, and Rob Sand, Democrat.
Kirkwood students should pay particular attention to the 1st and 2nd Congressional District races.
The 1st District race is between Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Democrat Christina Bohannan.
In the 2nd District, Republican Joe Mitchell is facing Democrat Lindsay James.
Your voter awareness matters. It helps you function as a member of a democratic society. When we lack awareness, we risk electing potentially dishonest politicians.
Categories: Opinion
