Alexis Rinere, Contributing Writer
arr5887@psu.edu

Young people are typically stereotyped as uncaring and unconcerned for the small and local elections. It is vital that we derail this stereotype in a quick and bold manner. In the last midterm election, occurring in 2018, only 30 percent of people ages 18-24 voted while 70 percent of those ages 65+ had participated in the midterm election.
Why does this matter? As the older generation continues to outvote the younger generation, many of them will unanimously vote against what most younger people hope for. It is common for the older generation to want to keep our society the same while the younger generation wants to change what has been considered normal for centuries. Due to the recent overturning of Roe V. Wade the right to a safe and legal abortion has been left to the states. Tom Wolf, Pennsylvania’s Democratic Governor, has made it clear that as long as he is in office, abortion will remain legal in the state of Pennsylvania. However, with the upcoming midterm election this will no longer be the decision of Wolf. Republican candidate Doug Mastriano has made it known that if he wins the election in November, abortion will be illegal in Pennsylvania. This is only one of the many crucial decisions that rest in the hands of the midterm election.
So, who is Josh Shapiro? Shapiro first began his political career in 2016 when he successfully ran to be Attorney General in Pennsylvania. Shapiro exposed the Catholic Church and their decade-long cover up of child sexual abuse. He helped identify 301 predatory priests and thousands of victims. In the 2020 election he protected the right to vote and defended PA’s election results. In January 2021 he was sworn in for his second term as Attorney General. Shapiro is continuing to fight against the opioid epidemic with the arrest of more than 6,000 drug dealers as well as the investigation of pharmaceutical companies and the CEOs who worsened the epidemic for their own financial gain. Shapiro is also standing up for our everyday consumers and working to strengthen the middle class.
On the flip side Shapiro’s opponent, Doug Mastriano, will make abortion illegal by signing into effect the Heartbeat bill. This would not only end the right to abortion, but also would terminate Planned Parenthood funding. While Planned Parenthood does performs abortions, they also offer many other services. Through Planned Parenthood you can also obtain birth control, wellness visits, breast exams, cervical cancer screenings, emergency contraception, HIV services, and numerous other life saving aids. Mastriano also opposes mask and vaccination mandates which could endanger many high risk people if another pandemic or outbreak were to occur. He also intends to make Pennsylvania a “2nd Amendment Sanctuary” but has not previously
devised a way to lower shooting rates in the state. With Mastriano in government, PA will no longer be a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants, leaving many people without a safe place to live.
In Pennsylvania, as well as many other states, children have had the privilege of learning about black history and the challenges they were faced with, as well as women’s inequality. With Mastriano in office he will ban race and gender theory studies in the state. This will not only limit students’ education but will erase a large and important piece of history. If students are not learning about the past for people of color and women, history will begin to repeat itself. It is crucial that kids have easy access to learn about this from a young age to teach them compassion and respect for what others went through and fought to change. Mastriano has many other plans for Pennsylvania that will only divide our state and start to put some citizens above the rest. With Shapiro in office, abortion will remain safe and legal, LGBTQ + rights will stay in effect, education will be better funded and prioritized, gun control will be a priority, all history will be taught in schools and Pennsylvania will stand as a safe sanctuary for immigrants. Josh Shapiro will ensure that Pennsylvania is a safe state for all people. Voting for Shapiro on November 8, 2022, is vital for our state.