Millennials, which are people who range between the ages of about 18 to 33, make up most of the student population at Cal Lutheran, and as you’ll come to find this year with the next national presidential election, the millennial vote matters.
According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2014, millennials are experiencing more student debt, poverty, and unemployment challenges, as well as greater diminished wealth than the two previous generations that came before. (Pew)
The millennial generation has also become one of the hardest to reach and convince through the traditional outlets politicians are accustomed to. Millennials don’t often obtain their political news from traditional outlets and everything revolves around an Internet that is constantly in flux. (CNN)
The post 9/11 world has also given millennials the view of a divided government, one in which candidates of all parties constantly attack one another over the best possible way to handle national security and impending war, giving off an air of hostility that gives little confidence of their abilities to the group of young voters.
These are all precisely the reasons why the millennial vote matters. As cliche as it may sound, millennials are the future. The millennial generation is more racially diverse, independent, and unattached to organized politics and religion. The millennial voice must be heard in the next elections because the problems this generation has been and is currently facing are not the product of a millennial vote, they are a product of other generations’ votes, older generations, who have a very different view.
Millennials often do not feel the need to vote because they honestly think that their vote won’t make a difference. There are people who refuse to register because it takes more than 5 minutes, and people who refuse to take the initiative to educate themselves on the leaders who want to run this country because it’s too much extra work.
It is important for the millennial generation to take an interest in their future. The “What’s the point?” mentality needs to be tossed out the window, because as students on this campus who hope to succeed one day, it is imperative to realize that things will only get better if an effort is made to improve them.
Mariam Girgis, a third year student at Cal Lutheran, believes that more people our age need to vote, and as Transfer Senator for ASCLUG Senate, she will be holding a Voter registration drive at CLU in early April, just in time before the Primaries in June.
Mariam states, “It is important for people our age to educate themselves because things that might be important to older generations might not necessarily apply to us. Our voice needs to be heard because it’s our country too.”
As a generation who will be most affected by the path that the future of this country will pave moving forward, millennials need to step up to the plate and take action.
Students don’t have to wait until April if they desire to register, they can simply go to Registertovote.ca.gov and complete the process.
Above all things, it is important to recognize the great influence this generation holds, to make an effort to get educated and show up on voting days to take part in such an important aspect of the future.