Students on-campus vote in District 1, while off-campus may be District 2

BY ERIN ALBRIGHT, Staff Writer

In addition to partaking in the presidential election, Ohio voters will decide who they want to represent their district in U.S. Congress on Nov 3. The congressional race is significant for registered Xavier students who will vote in either District 1 or District 2 depending on their residency on or off campus. Ohio has 16 congressional seats, and the winners of this year’s election will be a part of the 117th Congress.  

Students living on campus and registered to vote in Hamilton County will vote in the District 1 congressional race. The race, between current Congressman Steve Chabot and Kate Schroder, is  heavily focused on the issues of healthcare and taxation.  

Incumbent Republican Chabot is a career politician and lawyer who has represented the district consecutively since 2011. He also served as District 1 Congressman from 1995 to 2009, but lost in 2009 to Democrat Richard Driehaus. Born in Cincinnati, Chabot has kept work close to home. 

Chabot’s campaign has focused on his desires to repeal the Affordable Care Act, protect social security and reduce taxes, thereby revitalizing the economy.   

Schroder is the Democratic challenger and was the finance chair of the Cincinnati Board of Health from 2016 until 2020. Schroder previously worked in public health, predominantly in the corporate research sector. Schroeder was also born in Cincinnati. Schroder aims to make healthcare more affordable and accessible, rebuild highways, bridges and roads to create more jobs and gain better funding for ending the opioid epidemic through rehabilitation.  

Chabot won the 2018 general election by 13,000 votes against Democratic candidate Aftab Pureval. 

District 1 includes Warren County and parts of Hamilton County. The first district is more urban than District 2, which consists of Adams, Brown, Clermont, Highland and Pike counties. 

Students registered to vote at their off-campus residence will vote in the District 2 Congressional Race between Brad Wenstrup and Jaime Castle. The most controversial topics between candidates in this district are government-funded birth control methods and clinics and Second Amendment rights. 

Incumbent Brad Wenstrup has represented District 2 since 2013. A Republican, he also served in the U.S. Army Reserves and is a doctor of podiatric medicine. His stance on the issues includes his desire to boost the economy, lower taxes, create more quality jobs, retain gun rights and end all public funding for abortion. 

Jaime Castle represents the Democratic party in the district. Castle wants to impose stricter background checks on gun owners and sellers, make birth control methods more available and adjust zoning codes in communities to encourage entrepreneurship. 

Wenstrup won the 2018 general election by 47,000 votes over the Democratic candidate Jill Schiller. 

Students registered to vote with their on-campus address can head to the polls in Gallagher Student Center and students registered with their off-campus address should go to their assigned polling center.