US general elections will be held nationwide on Tuesday, Nov. 8. In this year’s midterm elections, 34 Senate seats, along with all 435 House of Representatives positions, will be contested.

South Carolina holds seven seats in the House of Representatives. Clemson falls within South Carolina’s third congressional district, where Jeff Duncan, the incumbent Republican Representative, is running unopposed. 

However, one of the state’s senate seats is in contention this year. The sitting senator, Republican candidate Tim Scott, is running for reelection. Scott has served as one of South Carolina’s Senators for ten years. This year, he will face off against Krystle Matthews, a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, who serves the state’s 117th district. 

South Carolina will also hold a gubernatorial election this November. The current Republican governor, Henry McMaster, is up against the Democratic candidate Joe Cunningham and the Libertarian candidate Morgan Bruce Reeves.

Clemson Votes is a resource available to students that provides students with advice and guidance regarding voting in local, state and federal elections. 

This year there are 8.3 million newly eligible voters for the midterm elections and approximately 20.66% of the United States population is made up of 18-25-year-olds, according to data collected from Tufts University. Clemson Votes noted that “based on those numbers alone, young people have the power to make significant changes in politics.” 

“Leaders make decisions based on the demographics of the electorate’s registration and turnout. That means that if you want leaders to discuss and prioritize issues that are important to you, then you have to vote,” Clemson Votes interns Madison Henry and Briana Bowen stated.