Zendrah Bonnick, Assistant News Editor
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, polling stations around the nation closed, marking the end of the 2026 General Election.
The midterms had seats up for reelection in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Senate and local governors. Millions of Americans participated in electing the representatives that will make up the new congress in months to come and selecting their governors.
While the count still continues in some states, as of Nov. 6, some races have yet to be called. Public opinion and documented statistics of the nation’s feelings on some big issues can give a perspective on why and how the nation is voting.
In a survey conducted by the Associated Press(AP), approximately 39% of voters surveyed stated that “the economy” was their response to the prompt, “Percent of voters nationally who said each issue was the most important facing the country.”
In July of this year, AP’s analysis of figures by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on the cost of groceries stated, “Buying food to eat at home has gotten 33% more expensive in U.S. cities since the beginning of 2019.”
The price increase has further exacerbated the financial burden on low-income Americans. According to AP, “fewer people have the same buffer after the Trump administration tightened SNAP eligibility requirements last year. As of April, 37 million Americans were enrolled in the program, a 12% decline from a year earlier, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.”
Affordability, government spending and costs were on millions of Americans minds, being that is affected by a variety of issues. A diving concern that was summarized by American author James Baldwin over 6 decades ago, “Anyone who has ever struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor.”
The economy was followed by the second most recurring response “the state of democracy,” was the primary concern for the 33% of the survey voters.
In June of this year, Pew Research Center surveys found, “around seven-in-ten U.S. adults (69%) say they are dissatisfied with the way democracy is working in their country.”
Other prevalent subjects on voters’ minds had a wide range from expressing support or opposition towards the current administration to concerns involving immigration, healthcare and the war in Iran.
In a study conducted by Pew Research Center on Oct. 26 of this year, it found that many Americans had a negative view of Immigration and Customs Enforcement despite the department receiving billions of dollars in taxpayer money.
“A majority of Americans (56%) now say they have an unfavorable opinion of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal agency at the center of many of the Trump administration’s increased deportation efforts,” the center stated.
In August of 2022 ,the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) analyzed the issue of affording healthcare in the United States.
“The cost of health care in the United States far exceeds that in other wealthy nations across the globe,” according to AAMC. “In 2020, U.S. health care costs grew 9.7%, to $4.1 trillion, reaching about $12,530 per person. The U.S. health care system continues to place a disproportionate cost burden on the patients who can least afford it. In the short term, policymakers could focus on targeted subsidies to specific populations — the families and individuals whose household incomes fall outside the average or who have health care expenses that fall outside the average — whose health care costs are unmanageable.”
By 2024 the cost of healthcare had already increased past the rate this initial statement by AAMC to have already been problematic. “Health spending in the U.S. increased by 7.2% in 2024 to $5.3 trillion or $15,474 per capita. This growth rate closely matched the 7.4% rise in 2023, and apart from the 10.5% surge in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2023 and 2024 growth rates are the highest recorded since 2003 (8.6%),” AAMC stated in 2024.
On the Iran war, Pew Research Center found stated “Around two-thirds of Americans (65%) disapprove of the way President Donald Trump is handling the U.S. military action in Iran, while a third (33%) approve, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.”
A statement by CNBC delved further into the cost of gas following the start of the war.
“Higher prices for gas and other energy products have cost the average American household nearly $1,230 since the start of the Iran war, according to an analysis from [economist Mark Zandi].”
Millions of Americans expressed exhaustion over the cost of living and health in America via their vote. While economics is the most easily quantified issue, discontentment has grown substantially as widespread disillusionment with ICE, American foreign policy and the wealth gap increases in one of the world’s wealthiest nations.
People have begun to challenge the necessity of the Unites States’ existing conditions, particularly for the working class; raising questions of the value of labor, health, liberty and life from the perspective of workers diverging from the values of industry and corporations.