Amidst this election season, Georgia has two U.S. Senate seats up for grabs. This rare occurrence was just deemed even more unusual as both of these seats will be decided by a run-off election. Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican David Perdue, who is grappling for re-election, are battling for their spot on the court of U.S. Senators with tight results, while Republican Kelly Loeffler faces off with Democrat Raphael Warnock. 

These Senate elections have become a pressing and national matter as Georgia holds the power to determine the party majority in the Senate. As of right now, Republicans hold 50 seats in the Senate while Democrats hold 48. If Georgia elects both Democrats vying for their seat at the table, the Senate will be equally divided and the Democrats will hold a majority paired with the newly elected Vice President Kamala Harris’s vote. If the Senate is controlled by the Democrats, this will aid in newly-elected President Joe Biden’s plans to get laws passed through Congress. But if Republicans remain in command, Biden will be met with more obstacles in completing his promises made to voters during his campaign.

With this run-off taking place January 5, Warriors who have recently turned 18 years old will be able to register to vote. Voting in a government election is a right, and with more people reaching the legal requirement to have the ability to cast a ballot, more votes should be submitted to determine the winners of this Senate run-off. Warriors who will have turned 18 between November 4 and January 5 who were not able to vote in the election held in early November are now eligible to cast their vote in this Senate run-off election if they register by December 7. November 18 marks the earliest day for a voter to mail in their absentee ballot and on December 14, in-person and early voting starts. “I was sad I was unable to vote especially since my birthday is so close to Election Day meaning I could not vote in such a big election.” said senior Lily Jones who turned 18 the day after the Election. “I do think it is super important to vote in state-wide elections because it will have such a big impact on us.”

While other elections have concluded, Georgia’s two Senate seats will remain undecided until January 5. This run-off will allow recently turned 18-year-olds to vote in an important federal election. Since they missed the first election, this run-off allows for an opportunity to let them have their voices heard.