The ballots are counted, the election is over, and the Republican party has won the requisite seats necessary to give the GOP control of the Senate.

While the midterm elections have come and gone, one lesson remains- Los Angeles voters still believe their voice counts. At a nondescript elementary school- turned-polling station on W 27th St, Vermont Avenue neighbors of all ages and ethnicities cast their vote on Nov. 4, 2014.

When asked why, local voters at the polling station echoed the same sentiment. Despite dire predictions that voter turnout would be low based on past election numbers, residents and paid volunteers who participated in the midterm elections say they came out for more than a sense of civic duty.

"I'm here because I want to help my community, especially the Latino ones," said Rene Sorto, a volunteer at the Vermont Avenue Elementary School polling station. "Especially [because] in my community we came from a different culture, [and] the voting system in our country is very different."

SEE ALSO: Scenes From U.S. Senate Battleground States

Central Los Angeles resident Brenda Brown held her granddaughter on her hip, as she explained why she voted in the midterm elections.

"It is very important that we vote, very, very important. Because I have a voice," she said. "My First Amendment. Freedom of speech."

"Our children-- we have to be a role model," she said.

Reach Web Producer Arielle Samuelson here.