By Ron Lora

“The Elections That Changed the World: Fifteen Pivotal Moments That Shaped How We Live,” a new book by CNN Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash, with co-author David Fisher, is well-timed for an election year. The book examines elections that left a significant footprint in history.

Bash’s topics range from ancient times to the modern era, among them Julius Caesar in ancient Rome; Thomas Jefferson’s election in 1800; Adolf Hitler’s rise to become German Chancellor; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., elected to lead the Montgomery Improvement Association; Ronald Reagan’s 1966 election as governor of California; and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s election victories in 1932 and 1940.  

With hundreds of thousands living homeless in “Hoovervilles,” Roosevelt’s election in 1932 began two decades of decisive years in which the role of government was transformed. They marked the beginnings of a welfare state, and with Roosevelt’s groundbreaking election to a third term in 1940, the nation moved from quasi-isolationism to a position of global power and responsibility.

When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 8, 1941, FDR delivered his “Day of Infamy” speech: “With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph – so help us God.”  After nearly four years of war, the nuclear age began with Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  

The world rightly remembers Adolf Hitler’s years as a period of state-sponsored mass murder, totalitarian terror and aggressive expansion. Often overlooked is the startling fact that with a large propaganda machine masterfully mixing politics and psychology, Hitler, through backroom political deals, was elected as German chancellor in early 1933. What Bash underplays, however, is the role that paramilitary organizations of the Nazi Party played in creating conditions of fear and bigotry that surrounded German elections at the time.                                                                                                                                                 

Although midterm elections in United States don’t have the same earth-shaking drama as those that Bash discusses, several have served as launching pads for future presidents.  Their elevation to prominent positions as governors or members of Congress provided them with a national platform that eventually enabled them to win the nation’s highest office. Recent examples are Ronald Reagan (1966 midterm), George W. Bush (1994 midterm), and Bill Clinton (1978 midterm).  

Halfway in the middle of four-year presidential terms, midterms occur in every state, featuring issues and offices other than those of President and Vice-President: 435 U.S. House seats, a third of the 100 U.S. Senate seats (staggered to serve as a stabilizing counterweight to the House), and elections for state governor (36 this year).  

States may add contests for state representatives, judicial and other offices, while local ballots may include other positions and issues relative to taxation, roads, and schools. Ballots in Allen, Hancock and Putnam counties (as elsewhere in Ohio) this year will include a Proposed Constitutional Amendment requiring voters to present photo identification in order to vote.  

Congressional races often dominate midterms because those elected have direct say on the national agenda, although as we have seen, Congress may shirk its constitutional duties and defer to presidential authority. November’s midterm is important in shaping the last half of President Donald Trump’s term.  If voters believe his policies are what are needed, they can vote accordingly; if “we’ve had enough” sentiment is strong, their votes may determine election results. 

For Democrats, this midterm is just as important. What sort of candidate do they prefer? Do they prefer centrist or left-liberal candidates?  Are “Democratic Socialists” a small minority, or the wave of the future? 

Such sentiments and questions affect voter turnout. Fewer than half (46.8 percent) of registered voters bothered to cast ballots in the 2022 midterm election. Always, percentages are significantly higher in presidential elections; for example, 65.3 percent of eligible voters cast ballots in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.  

With the November midterm before us, we reflect that in our democracy not all people are treated fairly, not all are protected equally. Yet we dream of community, of freedom and self-government, internalizing Lincoln’s belief that government should be of, by, and for the people. 

Voting is an essential tool of democracy. When we speak of elections and then vote, a ripple effect reaches others who will do the same.