Every two years Americans are faced with an important decision that determines the future of their state and country. This year, that crucial decision was made on November 6, 2018: The midterm election.

Recently, high school students had the opportunity to cast their vote in the Iowa Youth Straw Poll. They voted for who they wanted to be represented by one week before the midterm election took place.

“I think it’s important for students to participate in mock voting,” Xavier social studies teacher Mrs. Gina Kutilek said.

Schools that signed up to participate in the Iowa Youth Straw Poll gave their students a chance to voice their opinion on the U.S. House of Representatives and Iowa Governor’s races.

According to the Iowa Youth Straw Poll, the results were fairly close. Incumbent Republican Kim Reynolds was re-elected for another term as governor with only 3,463 additional votes over Democrat candidate Fred Hubbell. This was reflected in the actual results, with Reynolds defeating Hubbell by 39,529 votes.

“There are more teenagers than people think who are interested in politics,” junior Nicole Constant said. “It’s important for me to know what is going on in politics because each day our futures are being shaped by the laws and events happening in Washington.”

This is the first midterm election in history to exceed over 100 million votes, with an estimated 113 million voters.

Through mock voting, students are in an environment where they can ask questions and understand the voting process further. Regardless of the midterm election results, students statewide were able to expand their knowledge of voting through the Iowa Youth Straw Poll.