Tuesday’s midterm elections were not the stinging rebuke of the Trump Administration that Democrats had been hoping for. The party has retaken the House of Representatives, gaining at least 27 seats. Despite this success, Democrats lost ground in the Senate, and the House results were not as clear-cut a victory as rosier projections had expected. These mixed results make the election difficult to categorize overall. More than anything, the election shows a country that is drifting ever further apart politically.

In the House, the results largely conformed to pre-election polling. According to FiveThirtyEight, Democrats won the majority of seats that leaned toward their party, Republicans won most GOP-leaning districts, and Democrats clinched a slight majority of the races pegged as tossups.

At the state level, Democrats saw gains in several key states. Pennsylvania stands out in particular, with Democrats gaining four seats in the wake of a court-ordered redistricting that made the state more competitive. In New Jersey and Virginia, Democrats built on existing advantages, winning three seats in each. Meanwhile, Democrats won two seats apiece in Florida, Iowa, Michigan, and Texas.

Overall, the House races accentuate the existing trend of urban-rural polarization. The three most surprising Democratic victories, NY-11, SC-1, and OK-5, all came from urban communities. The same applies to Georgia’s 6th District, which Republican Karen Handel narrowly won in last year’s special election. On Tuesday, the district voted in Democrat Lucy McBath after a hard-fought contest. Also, the two House seats Democrats won in Florida were centered on Miami-Dade County. These results suggest that the divide between urban and rural voters are only intensifying under the Trump Administration.

One other noteworthy trend in last night’s House races is the success for minorities in key races. The 116th Congress will see Native American and Muslim women to join its ranks for the first time. Native American candidates Sharice Davids of Kansas and Debra Halland of New Mexico won their races Tuesday. Two Muslim candidates also won, with Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar scoring victories in Michigan and Minnesota. Democratic socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also made history – at 29, she is the youngest woman ever be elected to Congress.

In the Senate, the Democrats faced an uphill battle to retake the chamber this year, with 26 seats up for reelection to only nine for the Republicans. With so many incumbents facing challenges, many of them in heavily conservative states, Democrats were unable to avoid significant losses. Joe Donnelly of Indiana fell behind early in the night and never recovered, while North Dakota’s Heidi Heitkamp and Missouri’s Claire McCaskill also lost decisively. Bill Nelson in Florida held on more stubbornly, and is currently seeking a recount.

Meanwhile, the Democrats saw little success from their limited opportunities to flip Republican seats. Beto O’Rourke suffered a narrow defeat in his challenge to Ted Cruz in Texas. Tennessee’s election was more clear-cut, with Marsha Blackburn besting Democrat Phil Bredesen. The race to replace Jeff Flake in Arizona has not been called, but Kyrsten Sinema trails Martha McSally. The sole Democratic Senate victory came from Nevada, where Dean Heller was ousted by Jacky Rosen.

Despite the mixed victory for Congress, last night’s most promising gains for Democrats came at the state level. Democrats won seven Governor’s races, as well as winning legislative chambers in at least six states. The gubernatorial victories ranged from bluer states like Illinois and Maine, to swing states like Wisconsin and Nevada, to a surprise victory in highly conservative Kansas.

The common thread across many of the gubernatorial races was dissatisfaction with unpopular incumbents. Illinois and Kansas voters blamed incumbents Bruce Rauner and Sam Brownback for catastrophically damaging the two states’ finances. Wisconsin’s Scott Walker and Maine’s Paul LePage alienated voters with their abrasive approaches to governing. And in Michigan, Governor Rick Snyder has suffered for his mishandling of the water contamination in Flint.

Democrats also enjoyed two historic successes in last night’s Governor’s races. In Colorado, Jared Polis became the first openly gay man to be elected to a Governor’s mansion. And in New Mexico, Michelle Lujan Grisham became the first Latina woman to get elected Governor as a Democrat.

Not every Governor’s race went well for the Democrats, however. Andrew Gillum narrowly lost his race in Florida, and Richard Cordray was bested in Ohio. Stacey Abrams hasn’t conceded defeat in Georgia, but she trails Georgia Attorney General Brian Kemp by 1.6 points. The loss in Florida is especially critical – Republican success increases the danger of favorable redistricting after the 2020 census, putting Congressional victories in the state even further out of reach for Democrats. This is less of a concern for Ohio, where voters approved rules for a bipartisan redistricting process earlier this year.

All in all, Tuesday’s results should still be considered a success for Democrats, albeit a qualified one. Republican control of the Senate will only exacerbate conservative influence in the judiciary branch, possibly for years to come. However, seizing the House of Representatives will let Democrats conduct investigations into Trump Administration misconduct, which may cripple the White House. Also, the House is responsible for the first drafts of all spending bills, giving the Democrats considerable sway over the federal budget.

Moreover, the Democratic success at the state level will improve their national prospects in future elections – many Congressmen begin their careers in state legislatures. The Trump Administration no longer has free rein to push its agenda, but that may prove the least of their worries.

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Three years since Browder’s death, his brother, Akeem Browder, wants Governor Andrew Cuomo to do more for criminal justice reform. Cuomo has promised to prioritize justice reform if reelected in next week’s midterm elections, but Browder feels that so far, the governor has not delivered on his promises.

“The governor and the Democrats in Albany, as well as the Republicans, need to get off their high horse and really just understand this is a human rights violation” said Browder, who founded the The Kalief Browder Foundation to advocate for criminal justice reform. “Whether you’re a Democrat or Republican, whatever field you’re on, it does not matter. There are human bodies that are behind these bars and do not need to end up like another Kalief.”

Akeem Browder (left) discusses the need for criminal justice reform with Dr Michael Jacobson, Chairman of the Board of the NYC Criminal Justice Agency. Photo by Kathleen Taylor

According to the 2018 report of the Independent Commission on New York City Criminal Justice and Incarceration Reform, there are over 8,000 people held in New York City jails without trial, none of whom have been found guilty. Many of these people are detained because they are unable to pay bail. Reform advocates argue that the current bail system unfairly discriminates against the poor, many of whom are people are color.

Earlier this year Cuomo signed into effect the Raise the Age law, which allows for 16 and 17 year old offenders to be prosecuted and detained in separate facilities, instead of with adults. However, many have criticized the Cuomo for taking so long to enact this law and for the implementation being too slow.

According to The World Prison Brief, published by the University of London’s Institute for Criminal Policy Research, the United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world with about 2.2 million people in prison at any given time. Of those incarcerated, 451,000 are awaiting trial.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Photo by Pat Arnow courtesy of Wikipedia

While President Trump has recently engaged in conversations regarding justice reform with high profile celebrities, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, so far there have been no legislative reforms. The First Step Act, a justice reform bill which was approved by the House of Representatives earlier this year, has not yet reached the Senate.

The upcoming midterm elections will not only determine the composition of the US Senate which may vote on this bill , but also the state senates that will be considering legislative reforms at the state level. With the US Bureau of Statistics reporting that 87 percent of US prison inmates are held in state facilities, the midterm elections offer the potential for substantial change to the country’s criminal justice system.

In New York, Democrats have introduced various justice reform bills calling for bail reform, the introduction of speedy trial requirements, and discovery reform which would allow accused persons to be informed of all evidence against them prior to their case. So far none of these have passed through the Republican controlled Senate. Some blame Cuomo’s failure to deliver on justice reform on the composition of the Senate.

“As we approach this election, the makeup of the Senate may or may not change,” said Ashley Southall, criminal justice reporter for the New York Times. “We might have the same dynamic where we have Democrats passing reforms in the Assembly and then Republicans blocking them in the Senate.”

Some justice reform advocates are hopeful that if Democrats take control of the state Senate in the upcoming elections, then these bills will be passed.

“Money bail needs to go,” said Insha Rahman, Program Director of the Vera Institute.“But in the system that we have, that requires a legislative fix up in Albany. And as we know things in Albany are fraught. Perhaps maybe less fraught after November 6. We’ll see”.

Others wonder whether the Republican Senate is really what has prevented reform so far.

“Do they [New York’s current leaders] want to fix the system?” asked Aiyuba Thomas, an NYU student from Queens who was formerly incarcerated. “Or are they actually just appeasing people? Giving them little tidbits.”

Despite the potential that the upcoming elections offer for justice reform, Thomas is concerned that criminal justice reform is not occupying enough space in the upcoming election.

“When you hear a lot of debates, this is a topic that’s skimmed over,” said Thomas. “If it is spoken about, it’s very brief. How much is this the politicians’ concern?”

But Thomas appreciates that justice reform will take time.

“The world is not gonna change tomorrow,” said Thomas. “You could get 10 new guys, 10 new women in there that are all about prison reform, but it’s still a process. We’re making headway if we are able to rally voters who care about these issues to vote for the right people. That’s a big one, the voting process.”

Thomas believes that Cuomo’s recent executive order granting parolees the right to vote offers hope for criminal justice reform.

“Now that they’ve given us these rights to vote, a person who’s been in the system, who knows what’s going on, can better choose or better give their vote to a person who they feel is the right candidate,” he said. “Voting is very essential.”

Davon Woodley is an activist for the #CloseRikers campaign which lobbies for comprehensive criminal justice reform. Photo by Kathleen Taylor.

Davon Woodley, a formerly incarcerated justice reform activist from Harlem, said that the right to vote is a key driver of change.

“People who are home now have the right to vote,” said Woodley.  “And I think that that is a great way to create change in itself. What is going to change thisis who we as people put in place to represent us best.”

Woodley is an activist for the #CLOSErikers Campaign which lobbies not only for the closing of the jail on Rikers Island in New York City, but also for various other criminal justice reforms.

In addition to bail reform, Woodley said that New York needs to introduce minimum wages for work done by incarcerated individuals, offer mental health counselling to both incarcerated individuals and correctional officers, and reform the parole system.

“When I go to parole I still feel incarcerated,” said Woodley. He believes that the current parole system places unreasonable curfews and restrictions on people who are trying to reintegrate into society after prison.

Woodley worked as a teacher and mentor while in prison. He said that the most he ever earned in prison was 25 cents an hour.

“If I were paid minimum wage, I’d feel more comfortable putting it on my resume,” said Woodley. “I’d feel more proud. You come home with $40 and a bus ticket. That’s not gonna get you anywhere.”

None of these issues are currently on the ballot for New York State. Nor is program reform or sentencing reform. These are both major issues for Thomas, who thinks that the justice system needs to take more notice of the complex differences between the rehabilitative needs of different prisoners.

But Thomas is encouraged by the direction in which justice reform is headed.

“Everything is progress,” said Thomas. “I think this age that’s coming up is more about fairness. So hopefully it’ll be over soon.”

Regardless of the outcome of the upcoming elections, activists will continue to lobby for reform.

“I really do appreciate the direction that justice reform is headed in, but I can’t put power in the politicians,” said Woodley. “I always put power in the people.”

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Editor – Sam Eagan,
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As red and blue waves continue clashing in Florida in the race for the governor’s mansion this November, a hurricane of people in the general public are fighting for the lives of those battling a politically forgotten crisis.

Palm Beach Gardens resident Angela Tennell has watched gubernatorial candidates Ron DeSantis, Republican, and Andrew Gillum, Democrat, campaign for months. Throughout their election coverage, neither candidate has established a set plan to battle the opioid crisis, an issue that has rampaged throughout the nation and caused significant devastation in South Florida. The crisis has had a devastating impact on her life. Her son’s opioid addiction killed him.

As Tennell watches the two men campaign, she can’t help but recall the words of her son, David Neering – ‘Mom, you’re going to outlive me.’

“It killed me. He goes, ‘I’m going to die’,” Tennell tearfully recollected. “No parent wants to outlive their child.”

In Florida, far too many have. Her son is just one of thousands who have overdosed from opioids in the state. Despite the 5,725 opioid-related deaths reported in Florida in 2016 and the continuing increase of drug use and synthetic drug manufacturing in the state, DeSantis and Gillum have yet to announce detailed plans of action.

DeSantis’ public statements on the issue include only a Tweet linking to a Washington Examiner article about an increase in fentanyl confiscations at the U.S.-Mexico border. His solution in the post references President Donald Trump’s call to build a wall. This position was reiterated during one of his rallies in West Palm Beach on Oct. 6.  

“China’s sending a lot of this fentanyl to Central America. They’re bringing it across the border,” he said. “We’re intercepting a lot of it, but I mean this is really nasty dangerous stuff that can kill a lot of people and he (Gillum) just wants to let it come across the border with no enforcement.”

Gillum has not outlined any specific plans in his recent statements, but in an op-ed for the Palm Beach Post in July 2017, Gillum wrote a general plan to address the crisis.

“… We are going to create a statewide task force of law enforcement, first responders and mental health and patient advocates to address opioids at the state level,” he wrote. “We should restore the $11 million cut in state mental health funding, create opioid intervention courts and work with our Congressional delegation to secure more federal funding.”

Although Gillum had more direct suggestions, neither candidate has offered specific plans on how and when they will address the issue in office. Neither DeSantis nor Gillum responded to requests for comment about the issue.

Addressing the root of the issue

In the past, pharmaceutical companies shared the majority of the blame in the opioid crisis.

State Attorney for Palm Beach County Dave Aronberg explained that the state specifically targeted ‘pill mills – facilities that fraudulently provide addictive substances to patients being treated for substance abuse. While prescription drugs still play a major role in the epidemic, a large source of opioids for addicts is now a synthetic drug called fentanyl.

“The stuff that’s coming in from China is fentanyl and its analogs. That’s where the majority of the death rate is coming from,” Aronberg said. “The pills are more of a problem in that they get people hooked on opioids which eventually leads them to seeking out heroin and fentanyl.”

Fentanyl and fentanyl analogs are some of the most addictive and dangerous opioids available, with potency that can be 100 times more than morphine, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The number of deaths due to fentanyl and fentanyl-analogs in Florida has steadily increased since 2007, but since 2015, the state has seen a dramatic surplus of this cause of death. The 2017 Medical Examiners Commission Interim Drug Report states that in the first half of 2017, the number of reported opioid-related deaths increased by 20 percent and the number of opioid-caused deaths increased by 27 percent. The presence of fentanyl increased by 1 percent and of fentanyl analogs by 383 percent.

Area locals agreed that neither of the candidates are addressing the issue enough, especially in regards to attacking the source of the problem head-on.

Hollywood, Florida resident Linda Schainberg plans to vote for DeSantis, and even though she believes that building a wall will help enforce immigration issues, she does not believe that his priority of building a wall to address the opioid epidemic in South Florida will solve the problem. She would like to see him incorporate more of Gillum’s ideas on the issue. Schainberg  believes that she can count on his impact in office because he falls “under the umbrella” of Trump’s political stances.

“I’m sure he will be (held) accountable for (addressing) opioids, education, gun control, all those things. That’s what he’s been campaigning for,” she said. “He’s adhering to the Make America Great Again agenda and that’s it. That’s why I’m voting for him. That’s less government; that’s education; that’s the opioid crisis.”

Robert Korhonen, left, and Linda Schainberg, right, held an unofficial rally for Ron DeSantis on the side of the road in South Florida on Oct. 5. Photo by Li Cohen

Robert Korhonen, who also plans to vote for DeSantis, said he has not heard the candidate mention the crisis at length, despite attending many of his speaking events. He believes that building a wall will help address the issue, but also acknowledged that pharmaceutical companies should share some of the blame in the high rates of addiction and overdoses in the state.

“There are all kinds of drugs, illegals and disease; they’re bringing all kinds of crap across the border. It’s just flooding over the borders and has been for a long, long time,” he said. “(The wall) will stop the flow of opioids from the southern border to the United States. At least it’ll help that. It comes from other places, too, like Canada or whatever.”

Aronberg supports Gillum’s candidacy, and said that Gillum’s emphasis on expanding Medicaid is a vital component to eliminating the epidemic.

“I haven’t heard anything from DeSantis on the opioid crisis,” he said. “As governor he doesn’t have anything to do with the wall. That’s not a Florida solution, that’s a federal issue and that’s not even a solution in my opinion. Even if it were, being governor of Florida has nothing to do with it.”

Andrew Gillum, Democrat, is running against Ron DeSantis for to be Florida’s next governor. Photo courtesy Andrew Gillum

 Gillum supporter Ted Young hasn’t heard either candidate spend a lot of time on the opioid epidemic.

“I would definitely say that if people have opioid addictions then we need to deal with addiction like we do any kind of sickness or medical issue,” Young said.

The overshadowing of an epidemic

Gillum and DeSantis have each campaigned for months on the hot button issues of education, gun control and the environment. While those issues are crucial to discuss for Florida’s future, the candidates have not responded to  an epidemic that is costing thousands of lives.  

Tom Conrad is a former addict, now in his eighth year of sobriety. He runs the rehab and treatment facility Rock Recovery Center in West Palm Beach to help others struggling with addiction. While he did not disclose which candidate he is voting for this November, he said that the opioid crisis has never truly been at the forefront of politics. He is “keeping his fingers” crossed that tangible changes are made with a new governor in office.

“I don’t think it’s ever really been something that has been that focused on,” he said. “I don’t see it getting better if it keeps going the way it’s going … I don’t know what their plan is, but something has to happen for sure.”

Ben Bueno, an former opioid addict who grew up in South Florida, is the chief operating officer of Rock Recovery. He echoed Conrad’s beliefs on the matter and also chose not to disclose which candidate he plans to vote for.

“I don’t want to have unrealistic expectations,” he said. “If a governor talks about, as part of their campaign, that they’re going to do something about the opioid epidemic, a part of me jumps for joy inside. But then reality sets in, like what does that really mean? Nothing changes.”

In regards to whether a wall would stop the infiltration of drugs in South Florida, he added, “You will never stop drugs from coming into the U.S. We’re the richest, most powerful country in the world. We’re the biggest drug market. Last I checked, Mexico was sending drugs through tunnels underground so I don’t think a wall’s going to stop that. The War on Drugs lost.”

Within Florida, there are 522 facilities that provide substance abuse treatment, according to the 2016 report published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Of those, only 51 offer SAMHSA-certified opioid treatment programs and only 15 of those SAMHSA-certified program facilities receive any kind of state or government funding to help with the cost of treatment.

While SAMHSA-certification is not required to become an accredited facility, the certification process requires that the facility maintain state and federal opioid treatment standards. SAMHSA regularly inspects and surveys the facilities and mandates that the facility has a program sponsor, medical director, quality assurance and control plan, trained and educated staff, maintenance treatment, detox treatment, assessment services, and more.

Manny Llano, CEO of Fort Lauderdale Behavioral Health Center, runs one of the few SAMHSA-certified facilities in the state. He believes that neither of the candidates have offered a comprehensive solution to address the crisis happening in Florida. Even though the Behavioral Health Center offers certified treatment and recovery programs, including in-patient and out-patient services available to individuals with a wide variety of insurance carriers, he said  that people who do not have insurance tend to suffer.

At Fort Lauderdale Behavioral Health Center, patients who come in for substance abuse and placed in in-patient programs stay in empty rooms with built-in furniture and ample sunlight in an effort to minimize potential harm. Photo by Li Cohen

“I think controlling the borders is important, but having more funding and access to be able to provide services is also the solution,” he said. “A crucial point for us is to be able to have some control over the insurance companies to ensure that services are being provided and that they’ll have open access to funding so that more services can be added to people in need.”

The ending of midterm campaigns, the continuation of a problem

As the midterm campaigns quickly approach their end on Nov. 6, Gillum and DeSantis’ campaign trails have left numerous proposals to better regulate gun control, improve the environment and reform education for students and teachers. Florida residents and treatment facility owners, however, believe the devastating impact of Florida’s forgotten crisis will remain.

Ron DeSantis, center, addresses the crowd at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Oct. 6 about his plans as governor of Florida if he wins the midterm election, none of which include addressing the opioid crisis. Photo by Li Cohen

A former treatment facility owner – who wished to remain anonymous due to a pending FBI investigation into his facility – explained that politicians are failing to address the cost of running a treatment program. A former addict who started using drugs at 15, he has found that the funding and uniform front needed to combat the issue is nonexistent from the government side. He said  that insurance companies don’t want to pay for treatment in halfway houses, causing facility owners to struggle between running an underfunded business and providing a much-needed service to an underserved population.

“It becomes an ethical line of where do you draw the line between helping people and paying the bills. The whole system is not set up for success,” he said. “From detox to halfway houses, the entire system needs to be restructured to be more effective.”

He said within the facility he ran, a detox might cost $3,500 to $4,000 per client per day, not including tests and bloodwork.

“I think all the politicians are worried about are their elections and what can further their careers, so I don’t think anybody really cares on that level,” he said. “It’s so hard to have a unified front because there are so many factions of the government – state, local, federal – and everybody has a different opinion. Then they get elected and nothing happens.”

With only a few weeks left before the final vote, Tennell has only a few words for Gillum and DeSantis to take with them during their final rallies.

“I lost my son. My sister, she’ll never be right. My grandson, his life is hell right now. It pains me … This is very wrong, what’s happening. So many people have lost a friend, a brother, a sister,” Tennell said. “The crisis needs to be covered. It’s not going to go away. There’s no turning your head away from this. If we don’t address this problem, people will still be dying every day, every hour, every minute, every second.”

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For Ana Maria Jemenez, celebrating the Day of the Dead on November 2^nd in Corona, Queens was not all about cheer and fun. She, along with other immigrants from Mexico, Columbia, Peru, Dominican Republic and El Salvador, instead talked about their concerns regarding the upcoming midterm elections and it’s effect on the immigration reform.

The DREAM Act, which was first introduced in 2001, provided some residential rights to illegal immigrants under the age of 35, allowing them to get work authorization and educational opportunities. So far only 15 states have their versions on the DREAM Act, including New York State.

“I brought my son illegally to this country,” said Jemenez, 39. “He is now 13 and goes to school. I want him to have good education and good future.”

Jemenez, unlike her son who is living in the U.S. under the DREAM Act, is facing deportation. Her case has been with the Immigration Services department for  two years. She lives in fear that one day someone would knock on her door and deport her back to Colombia.

Living in fear and barely making ends meet while working two jobs, Jemenez refuses to stay ignorant about her rights as an undocumented worker and constantly follows any developments on immigration reforms as well as senate, house, presidential, or even local government elections. Never use illegal alien..it is considered offensive.

“Yes, I cannot vote,” said Jemenez, who only has a little trace of a Colombian accent. “But it doesn’t mean that I don’t care. I always hope that immigrants like me would get more rights, just like President Obama promised.”

Jemenez, said she understands how the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives operate and is very concerned about the outcome of the midterm elections..

“If Republicans win, we, and I mean all immigrants, are going to be deported,” said Jemenez. “Republicans don’t like Latinos. But we work hard, we love this country. The jobs we do, American would never do.”

Jemenez works at a local grocery store, doing everything from scrubbing floors to working at the cash register. The storeowner pays her $6.75 per hour. Since she doesn’t have legal papers there is nobody she can complain to. According to Jemenez, if Republicans win the senate she will lose the little that she has now.

Miriam Guzman, 42, from Mexico, works as a fulltime babysitter for $10 an hour. If she weren’t an illegal immigrant, her salary would be $15 an hour.

“Family I work for is rich,” said Guzman. “They hired me because I speak Spanish and their children love me. They pay me less because they know I have no papers and no choice, but to accept what they give me.”

Miriam Guzman and her fiancé, Greorge Pateka. Photo by Maria Panskaya

Despite the fact that the midterm election turnout is usually quite low, with turnout of eligible voters never going beyond 50% according to the Center for Voting and Democracy, undocumented immigrants from Latin America fully understand that midterm elections can be even more important than the presidential election.

“What people don’t realize is that the outcome of the midterm elections will determine the future of the country and possibly effect the presidential election outcome in 2016,” said Alan Acosta, 34, a Hispanic community activist and volunteer, Queens. “I received my green card a year ago under the DREAM Act, after a nine-year-long battle with paper work, and I’m going to vote on Tuesday. Sometimes one vote can make a difference.”

Acosta came to the U.S. illegally from Dominican Republic when he was 19, before the DREAM Act was introduced. But the act eventually made him eligible for getting social security, then work authorization and citizenship.

“This was a dream come true,” said Acosta. “I want every immigrant to experience the joy and relief I experienced a year ago.”

According to Pew Research Center, the percentage of eligible Hispanic voters is dropping by seven percent each year nationwide. One of the issues of low turnout among Latinos is underrepresentation.

“We have a black president and the majority of congress, senate and house officials are white,” said Jemenez. “I want to see more Hispanic representatives. I feel like Latino population doesn’t vote that much is because there is nobody we can vote for.”

According to Migration Policy Institute, undocumented immigrants from Latin America represent 46% of all foreign born immigrants, who currently reside in the U.S., with 28% of them being Mexicans. Indians and Chinese, along with other Asian countries, represent 29% combined together. The other 25% are immigrants from Europe and Africa.

All immigrants who cross the border with the U.S. on illegal terms, whether smuggled on a ship or train or traveled with fake passports, have one dream in common—becoming the U.S. citizens. While the Obama administration has expressed strong support for numerous immigration reforms, like the DREAM Act, the majority of those propositions were voted down in the Senate.

In May 2014 New York State tried to expend the DREAM Act policy by enacting free college education to immigrants, but the initiative hadn’t been passed.

“It’s already hard enough for the president and his aids to pass any bill and to get it approved,” said Acosta. “And it’s going to be even worse if Republicans win the Senate. The next two years are going to be hell not only for the president, but also for all immigrants.”

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The midterm elections are scheduled for Tuesday, but whether or not scores of New York University’s students will hit the polls is still undecided.

“I think that it’s important for Americans to vote,” said Nicole Horowitz, 21, a student in the Gallatin School of Individualized Study, living in the West Village. “Ideally they should be well-informed on the issues, but I think that no matter what state you live in, it’s important to do what you can.”

But Horowitz’s ideals are not shared by everyone on the sprawling Greenwich Village campus, in the heart of Washington Square. NYU has 58,547 students.

Utkarsh Saddi, 21, a Leonard N. Stern School of Business student, living in New Jersey, said he will not vote.

“I do care what happens,” Saddi said. “But I’m just not interested in taking time to go vote. I have better things to do.”

Saddi added that he doesn’t care for either candidate on either platform, which, according to an analysis by The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University, is why 5.8 percent of registered voters ages 18-29 didn’t vote in the 2010 midterms.

Midterm elections occur halfway through the president’s four year term.

While President Barack Obama still has two more years in office and his name won’t be on a ballot at the midterms, the elections are considered a thumbs up or thumbs down on his performance. Government gridlock has plagued his presidency and the vote on Tuesday could either ease the gridlock or tighten it. On the ballot will be all 435 seats in the House of Representatives up for re-election, along with 36 Senate seats and 36 gubernatorial seats. Currently the House is controlled by Republicans and the Senate by Democrats.

Voting on who will fill the seats in the midterms, in addition to Horowitz, (who cares about environmentalism and sustainability), will be Francesea Querci, 20, a journalism student in the College of Arts and Science, living in Chinatown. Querci said she will fill out a ballot because she finds political participation extremely important. She’s interested in housing reform.

“Especially as somebody who is considered part of a younger generation, we should participate because we’re going to be the future leaders of this country,” Querci said. “And we need to put people in offices where we can get our voice out there.”

Since 1964, young voters ages 18-24 have consistently voted at lower rates than other age groups, according to an April 2014 report released by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the United States Census Bureau.

Nationwide, young voting rates dropped from 50.9 percent in 1964 to 38.0 percent in 2012. According to CIRCLE’s May 2013 fact sheet – with data obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS) November Voting and Registration Supplements – the 2012 voter turnout of those aged 18-29 in the state of New York was at 42.4 percent versus 63.4 percent for those aged 30 and older.

The Commerce’s report also mentioned that voting and registration rates are historically lower in non-presidential election years, which we are currently in.

In addition, the number of votes cast during presidential election years from 1972-2012 also show shifts. CIRCLE reported that in the 2000 presidential election, 8.6 million votes were cast by 18-24 year-olds. Numbers increased in 2004 to 11.6 million and again in 2008 to 12.5 million before dipping in 2012 to 11.3 million votes cast.

Michael Pernick, 26, a School of Law student and active member on the NYU Law Democrats board, agreed that numbers have been rising in the youth vote and youth turnout in recent years, but he’s not sure if that will continue after Obama finishes his term.

“That’s a trend that I believe maintained itself that the youth vote has turned out more in recent elections, especially post-2008, than it has previously if you isolate all other variables,” Pernick said. “And that might just be the result of having Barack Obama on the ballot.”

With uncertainty of voter turnout in a non-presidential election year, another obstacle for students is them not registering in their new state. Adam Schulz, 19, a Gallatin student from Chicago, Ill., living in Union Square, said that he’s not voting in the midterms because he never registered in New York. About 10 percent of registered voters in the CIRCLE’s analysis didn’t vote in the 2010 midterms because they were out of town or away from home.

“I could see myself [registering] in the future possibly,” Schulz said. “It’s good to have a say … and I’m going to be spending the majority of my life for the next four years in New York City, so I think I should start getting involved with the voting process.”

Schulz being an out-of-state student represents much of the NYU student body, as the university is home to students from across the globe and across diverse backgrounds.

All 50 states embody the undergraduate student population, international students make up 20 percent of the university’s student body (8.954 students), and the 2013 freshmen class is 18 percent international from a record-breaking 87 countries.

Anibal Suriel, 19, a Stern student from Miami, Fla., living in Chinatown, said that he never planned to vote and isn’t interested, a reason why 17.2 percent of registered voters in 2010 didn’t make it to the midterm polls.

“It’s kind of a hassle, well not a hassle, it’s a process that I’m not familiar with,” Suriel said, adding that he doesn’t know how to register.

Also too busy with classes and extracurricular activities, like 33.5 percent of registered voters in the CIRCLE’s analysis, Suriel, said that he could be interested in voting in the future.

“I definitely would be interested in [voting], especially because political science is my second major,” Suriel said. “So I guess that’s something I should look into.”

 Joanna Bouras contributed to this report

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Staten Island is only a short ferry ride south of Manhattan, but when it comes to Superstorm Sandy recovery, the distance feels great. Since the storm, the hardest hit borough is stuck in a slow recovery.

Last week marked the two year anniversary, and Staten Islanders are still mucking out homes along the Island’s Eastern shore. And with a critical midterm election looming, the issue of recovery is more political now than ever.

2 Years Later: Staten Island Sandy Recovery from Pavement Pieces on Vimeo.

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The post The homeless vote appeared first on Pavement Pieces.