The Senate Is Looking At A Lot Of Open Seats

The 2016 presidential election concludes soon, but despite our extreme focus on the presidential race this year, thanks to various scandals and a particularly vocal Republican candidate who keeps outraging voters, there are other things to be concerned about on your Nov. 8 ballot. You may have already heard mentions of the important Senate race that's taking place, but you might also be wondering how many Senate seats are up for reelection this year?

This November, 34 Senate seats out of 100 are up for the election. Only 10 of them currently belong to Democrats, while 24 currently belong to Republicans. As the Senate stands before the election, 54 Republicans control the Senate while 46 Democrats (including two Independents) make up the rest of the votes. Because there are several seats that might flip, it's more heated than ever.

As USA Today has reported, with several closely-contested races, there is a chance of a Republican-Democrat tie in the Senate, which would mean the parties would be more likely to have to work together to pass legislation, and one party would be less likely to overwhelmingly vote down measures. The last time there was an evenly divided Senate was in 2001, and a tied Senate could lead to fewer attacks against opposing parties and a greater incentive to work together. Currently, USA Today predicts six states as a toss-up between the parties.

With such a tight race, Republicans have begun panicking about their Senate majority and the ways the tables could turn on Election Day. On Tuesday, the Super PAC Senate Leadership Fund made a move in an attempt to keep the Republicans in the majority by investing $25 million into seven races. This could be seen as an attempt for Republicans to save their party if they are realizing that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is more likely to win the general election.

But they're not the only party committed to seeing their senators prevail. The Democratic party is also putting effort in to support the Democratic races. President Obama is endorsing down-ballot candidates in an unprecedented move for him. Despite his past experience as a senator, Obama has never endorsed a state legislative race as president.

We'll have to wait to see how it plays out on Election Day, but this election is definitely going to impact more than just the presidency. With the anticipated Senate races, there's a lot more to be concerned about in how the country passes legislation in the coming years. So, even more reason to get informed and go vote on Nov. 8.