With control of Congress at stake, the 2026 midterm elections are shaping up as a closely watched contest between Republicans defending narrow majorities and Democrats seeking to regain power on Capitol Hill. For students at Howard University, the national debate comes down to a more personal question: whether, and how they will vote.
Moriah Gethers, a senior health management major from Hershey, Pennsylvania, is registered to vote and plans to use a mail-in ballot because she cannot return home to vote in person.
“I’m a little bit concerned because I’ve been seeing a lot of articles regarding the restrictions on mail-in ballots that [President Donald] Trump’s attempts to restrict it,” Gethers says. “It’s a bit concerning to see how far they would let him restrict a lot of access for people to vote.”
Katherine Huntwork, a junior graphic design major from Portland, Oregon, said she plans to have her mother forward her ballot to campus.
“I have partial faith in the system; I’m not someone who’s gonna be like, ‘all elections are entirely rigged,’” Huntwork said. “I do think that they matter.”
Obinna Oramalu, a senior computer science major from Swan, Texas, also plans to vote by mail. She said a lack of trust can contribute to students questioning whether voting will make a difference.
“I believe that honestly the majority of where fear comes from is more so apathy on people not exactly knowing what is on their ballot or how their voices can effectively be heard,” Oramalu said.
Voting access has become another major issue. The Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration’s proposed restrictions on mail-in ballots from taking effect for the November midterms, including requirements involving ballot envelopes and voter eligibility data.
The NAACP welcomed the decision.
“Mail voting is safe, secure and deeply rooted in our nation’s history,” said Kristen Clarke, general counsel for the organization, in a statement.
However, on Sept. 25, the Supreme Court cleared the way for states to resume checking their voting rolls against an expanded federal citizenship database in an emergency ruling that will take immediate effect just weeks before midterm elections.
The Trump administration has expanded the The Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system, originally used to verify eligibility for public benefits, allowing states to check voter records using federal data. The Supreme Court paused a lower-court ruling that had blocked the changes, allowing the administration to continue using the system while the case proceeded. Voting-rights groups have raised concerns that SAVE could incorrectly flag eligible voters, particularly naturalized citizens and people whose names have changed.
Tiffany Brewer, a Howard University School of Law professor and former New Jersey deputy assistant secretary of state, warned that the Trump administration’s push is giving states “a license and an encouragement” to tamper with their rolls in the weeks leading up to Election Day.
“States should be using [the months] well in advance of the election to make sure that their voting rolls are accurate,” she said. “It is very confusing and suspect, very close to the election, to be doing that.”
For students attempting to navigate the process of casting their ballots amid conflicting court rulings and administrative changes, Brewer stressed that proactive preparation is crucial.
She advised students to register where they live and confirm their address, and those living away from home must double-check local registration and mail-in deadlines immediately.
Anyone who hasn’t received a sample ballot, Brewer said, should call their county election office to verify they are properly registered. Her last piece of advice is to maintain a “buddy system,” walking friends and family through the same checklist.
For voters who suspect their status has been compromised, flagged or removed, Reed advised checking registration online via secretary of state websites right away. If issues persist, voters should contact nonpartisan voter protection resources, including the Election Protection hotline.
Copy edited by Daryl R. Thomas Jr.
