It’s that time of the year when the presidential race starts to narrow things down. Debates are on our TVs every week, primaries and caucuses are being live tweeted in real time, and it seems like everyone and anyone has an opinion this year; just look at all the memes that have come out. And that makes this election year just that much better.
Most people don’t realize that young voter turnout is an important part of the presidential race and eventual outcome. Believe it or not, the power is in our hands to help shape this country. Generation Y has so much to say, just look at the protests and rallies that have been going on in the last couple of years. There has to something that makes you want to change our country. Did you ever wonder why older people always get the best perks after an election? It’s because they vote, and it shows in the voting polls.
The candidates have even taken to Snapchat and Twitter to appeal to our generation. A few weeks ago Bernie Sanders, updated his story with him playing basketball with his family. Who wouldn’t want to watch an old guy dunk? Interacting with possible voters via Twitter is definitely something the candidates have taken to doing. Whether or not they’re the ones who are tweeting back to you, it’s clear that they’re trying to connect with our generation in some way. If they’re making an effort to connect with people our age, we should make an effort to go out to the polls.
Say you’re sitting there, reading this article and I still haven’t convinced you to go and vote, take this into consideration: if you’re not happy with the way the government is handling things, wouldn’t you want to change it? Even if there’s something you find important and other people find small, such as fracking, and you’re not happy with how your local government is dealing with the issue, see how the candidates running feel about that same issue. This can help narrow down which person you would want to vote or not vote for, and even convince yourself or other people to go out and vote.
Long story short, it’s super important to vote. Even if you’ve never done it before and have zero clue on how to register, get to your local poll and talk to someone who can help. You can even Google it if you’re too nervous to go out alone. Your opinion matters and voting is the only way to make sure yours gets heard in the next election.