Why We Should All Vote
In college, especially on a small and isolated campus like Hamilton, it’s easy to feel like we’re in our own little bubble that’s separate from the so-called “real world.” However, we are beginning to become independent adults who will soon not only be running our own lives but the country as well. Our choices will play a major part in shaping the economy, the culture, and our government. The key word here is choice, and my question is whether we will choose how we want our country to proceed forward, or whether we will allow older generations – whose values we may not agree with or benefit from – to choose for us.
As Millennials, we now make up the largest generation in the United States. We’re young, most of us strongly value higher education, and we have new ideas. Unfortunately, we’re also the least likely to vote: only about 20% of voting-age Millennials participate in elections. Older generations like to call us lazy and self-centered and many people think we can’t be bothered to get involved in government or politics. I don’t think that’s true, but I won’t go into that now. I do think many people our age focus less on civic engagement and more on both the pressures of society and the diversions from them – maybe because it’s more expensive and more competitive than ever to get educated, get a job, and try to build our lives in a struggling economy. We can change that.
I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know nearly enough about politics as I should, especially with all the information that’s out there. However, despite the fact that I think we can all fall into the college bubble that I mentioned above, I’ve seen a lot more interest in politics and government here than I’ve seen elsewhere. I often hear people talking about current events, presidential candidate debates, etc. I hope this translates into more of our generation voting this year, in the primaries and in the general election. Voting isn’t only a valuable right; it’s our duty. Even if you disagree with how the voting process works, even if you don’t like any of the candidates, even if politics isn’t your thing and you don’t know much about it, please take some time to educate yourself and then exercise your right to vote.
Of course, the largest generation in the country is made up of countless differing opinions, but if we all vote, we can start making our voices heard and make way for a government that better represents the majority of citizens. Many of us probably do agree on many issues. You might not think it makes a difference for you to vote, but when the majority of a generation believes that, and when many members of our generation want some of the same things, we leave our potential influence untapped.
If the process of voting and navigating the world of political candidates is overwhelming, the national Her Campus site published an article about voting in the primaries: http://www.hercampus.com/news/how-vote-primaries-college . It’s very helpful and includes links to help you register and learn more about the presidential candidates.
We have the opportunity to have an impact on our government and to start making some of the changes we’d like to see. Let’s take that opportunity and be active citizens!
Sources:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/millennials_report.pdf