On Tuesday, Nov. 8, Americans over the age of 18 across the country had the opportunity to let their voices be heard by casting their ballots and voting in the 2022 midterm elections. Occurring every four years at the halfway mark of the incumbent president’s term of office, the midterms determine the occupancy of several prominent positions of office, including all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and a third of the 100 seats in the Senate. 

     While nationally held positions often receive the majority of public attention during elections such as the Midterms, local positions and policies hold notable influence in the everyday lives of voters in the United States and Collin County is no exception. 

     In Plano ISD, three of five propositions for the nearly $1.5 billion bond that was proposed to the City of Plano were passed by voters on Tuesday. The propositions, which include VATRE Proposition A, Bond Proposition B and Bond Proposition C, will allow for significant improvements to many schools and facilities within the district, including planned renovations to Plano Senior High School. Bond Propositions D and E, which proposed a district event center and improvements to safety and maintenance at Clark and Kimbrough stadiums, were not passed. 

     The 2022 midterm elections also tasked voters with electing representatives for several prominent positions of office, both local and statewide. 

     Republican Jeff Leach, an alumnus of Plano Senior High School, was re-elected to represent Collin County in District 67 of the Texas House of Representatives for the 6th term of office. Additionally, in the U.S. House of Representatives, Republican Keith Self will replace incumbent Republican Van Taylor as congressman for U.S. Representative District 3, which encompasses much of Collin County as well as the majority of Hunt County, after defeating Democratic candidate Sandeep Srivastava. 

     For offices representing the state of Texas as a whole, Republican incumbent Ken Paxton defeated Democratic candidate Rochelle Garza for the position of Texas Attorney General and Republican incumbent Dan Patrick was re-elected as Lieutenant Governor after defeating Democratic opponent Mike Collier. Finally, after a tight race against Democratic candidate Beto O’ Rourke, Republican Greg Abbott was re-elected for a third term of office as Texas Governor. 

     Although Texas did not see a large shift in incumbency in this election, history was made nationwide. In Massachusetts, Democratic candidate Maura Healey became both the first woman to be elected Governor of Massachusetts and the first lesbian to be elected Governor in the history of the United States. Leading the next generation of lawmakers, 25-year-old Democrat Maxwell Frost of Florida’s 10th congressional district became the first member of Generation Z to be elected to the U.S. Congress. Additionally, Maryland saw the election of its first Black governor after Democrat Des Moore defeated Republican candidate Dan Cox, while Arkansas elected Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders as its first woman to lead the state as Governor. 

     Both locally here in Collin County and nationwide, the results of midterm elections have far-reaching implications, setting the tone for the beginnings of the 2024 presidential election process.