With the 2026 midterm elections underway, voters are questioning what results can be expected. Beyond the headlines and campaign ads, understanding the fundamentals of how elections work is crucial. In an interview with Dr. Lindsey Cormack, Associate Professor of Political Science here at Stevens, we explored how teaching politics at a STEM university reveals just how important the intersection between science and democracy truly is.
What exactly are the midterm elections? Halfway into a presidential term, all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and about one-third of the U.S. Senate, which is 35 seats, are up for grabs. Midterm elections determine who writes and enforces the laws that are practiced. Dr. Cormack said, “The House is the closest thing that we have in terms of person-to-person representation, and so the midterms are actually, in some ways, the most consequential election because you can reset the entire body of everyone who’s making legislation […] And so, in a lot of ways, it’s more important than the presidency because you can have an entire body that’s deciding the law in the first place.”
This idea reinforces that midterms are not structural; they are an attempt to reframe civic participation. Working at a STEM-focused school, Dr. Cormack often encounters students who see themselves separate from politics. “When I first started here, I was nervous about it because a lot of the students that I met saw themselves as separate from a political process,” she said. “The best programmer or the best engineer gets ahead, and I try to disabuse them of that notion because politics isn’t everything. If you’re going to build a bridge, you’re going to have to talk with political entities on either side of that river.” Stevens students are taught to design systems that encompass accountability, regardless of someone’s major. “The systems that engineers build, whether they be physical systems or cyber systems, change the way our politics happen. Understanding governance is not a distraction and should not be separated from engineering; it is a part of building responsibility.”
Dr. Cormack highlights a very striking trend: STEM majors are among the least likely to vote. “STEM majors are the least likely to turn out, and so I know that their voices aren’t heard in government. And part of it is them thinking it’s like not for them, but part of it is that they don’t know how to play the game, and they’re smart at everything else. But if they’re not in this system, they’re not going to get outcomes that they like.”
For those nervous about voting or not sure where to start, the entire process starts with ownership. “This country is mine just as much as it is yours,” she shared. “Voting when you’re younger is sort of the best way you can assume or project a life that you’re going to want because you have that many more years for policies to be realized. And so, accept that the country is yours. Accept that as an adult, this is what we do. You are the adults in the room. For college students, this means that showing up influences decisions that will affect their future industries, careers, and workplaces.
Being informed does not mean you have to agree or disagree with every political party’s promises. It means learning, questioning, and reflecting on your own personal priorities. Dr. Cormack gave advice about the difference between questioning and abandoning something of importance, such as voting. “I think skepticism is healthy. I think cynicism is not. And cynicism is when you opt yourself out. The American experiment is an example of change every year, every day that we live, based on who shows up and plays the game? Cynics are never victors. Tryhards are.”
If there is one takeaway for students going into the midterm elections, take this: Assume that the political system is able to change, but you can be part of that change by showing up.
