“I decided to vote early to voice my vote and get it out of the way,” Soverinsky said.

Soverinsky believes reproductive rights are the main reason he wanted to vote, following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June.

“I think one of the reasons why I actually wanted to vote is Proposal 3 – to protect abortion rights,” Soverinksy said. “Even though I’m not a woman, I still feel it’s important for them to have rights to their own bodies.”

This was the first year Soverinsky was eligible to vote and after he cast his ballot, he felt accomplished.

“It was really cool to have a part in the election process,” Soverinsky said. “I always would sometimes go with my parents when they would go and vote. It's just cool that my vote is going to be used to determine a very important outcome.”

Public policy sophomore Alexandra Paladina said that she’s passionate about reproductive rights, and healthcare more broadly, on this year's ballot.

“I was privileged enough growing up in a home and state where I didn’t need to worry about whether I could afford my heart transplant or hearing aids,” Paladina said in an email. “Knowing that there are people in this country with little access to this type of healthcare, or even affordability, really makes my voting more crucial. It’s also why I am passionate about politics. Change and unity needs to be shown more and showing up to the ballots is the first step to see that.”

With so many congressional seats up for grabs, Paladina believes this is a high-stakes election.

“I do believe this is a high-stakes election. Every election typically is. When we see issues such as abortion and voter rights, climate change, healthcare, education, LGBTQIA+ rights on the ballot, that’s how you know we are facing an election that is crucial to our democracy and how it plays out,” Paladina said in an email. “This being the midterms, this where some of the most important congressional seats are up for grabs, so who we vote for really determines the outcome of our state.”

Candidates have made an extra effort this cycle to convince young voters to get out to the polls. It has seemed to work, with voter registration up 6 percent among 18-23 year olds. Journalism senior Hunter Gadwell thinks that if young voters show up, they could make an impact.

“If you look at social media, I feel like we could make a big dent. A lot of us are active making content of our own, reposting content, sharing our voice – but I guess the question is 'How many of those people are actually going to vote?',’’ Gadwell said. “Looking at the people that I surround myself with, everyone I know has already voted or is going to vote. These are people who in the past didn't care too much about politics, so if that is a trend for everyone, I think we could definitely make an impact.”

Recent research from Tufts University shows that young people have a high likelihood of swaying key races in Michigan. Michigan State University students, in particular, could heavily impact the 7th Congressional District race.

 Election Day is on Tuesday, Nov. 8, and polls close at 8 p.m.