It may seem a little early to be discussing midterms. But this is not an article about the exams we all take in January, marking the halfway point of the school year.

Every four years, in between presidential elections, the United States holds elections across the country at the midway point of the presidential administration. On November 6, voters will elect one-third of the U.S. Senate and all 435 members of the House of Representatives. In addition, states across the nation will elect governors and state legislators.

Historically, the political party of the incumbent president tends to lose seats during the midterm elections. You might be surprised to hear that over the past 21 midterm elections, the president’s party has lost an average of 30 seats in the House and four seats in the Senate. In only two of those elections did the president’s party gain seats in both chambers. In happened in 1934 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt and in 2002 under President George W. Bush.

The cable news networks are enjoying skyrocketing ratings as Americans try to predict what the results will be for President Donald Trump’s first midterm elections. There are 35 seats up for reelection in the Senate. The Republicans hold a 51-49 majority so the Democrats will need to gain two seats to take control. But this will be difficult since ten of the seats are currently held by Democrats in states that Trump won in 2016. In the House of Representatives, where all 435 seats are up for reelection, the Democrats need to flip 24 in order to win a majority.

In New York, in addition to the vote for the House of Representatives (where our representative for the 4th district is Kathleen Rice), Governor Andrew Cuomo (Democrat) is running against Marc Molinaro (Republican). Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is running against Republican Chele Farley.

The midterm elections don’t get nearly the attention that a presidential election receives. But it is still important for Americans to pay attention to issues on both the national and local level. This year should definitely be interesting to watch as the results come in. Will the Democrats take control of the House? Will the Republicans add to their control in the Senate? And how will each side interpret the results?

Every vote counts so we should all be encouraged (those who are 18 years of age or older of course) to vote on Election Day. And whether we like it or not, talk about the 2020 presidential election will probably be just around the corner.