With the election looming, I thought it would be a good idea to encourage all, but specifically my age group, to vote on Tuesday. As most of you know, I am a Political Science major, so I have spent many years studying the statistics of voter turnout. Did you know that the age group of 18-25 are almost 30% less likely to vote than that of our older counterparts? In other words, we are 30% less likely to have our needs met than those of the 26 years and up categories. If you ask me, this is insanity! We have a reason to vote in every election just due to the fact that we will be living on this planet for longer than the other age groups!
If you are not totally sold, here are some other reasons why you should not just vote on Tuesday, but in every election you can:
1. It is Your Right- We, in the United States, enjoy a right that is often taken for granted. In many other countries around the world, people are tirelessly fighting and dying just for the opportunity to stand in a long line on a cold Fall day to cast their opinions. If you do not vote, you are essentially saying that all the people that fought, and many times died, for us to have this right, did so for no good reason. If you are a woman or a minority, your rights were not established until much later than that of Caucasian men. I don't know of anyone that would say that Martin Luther King Jr.'s mission or that of the Women's Suffrage Movement in the United States did not fight with good cause.
2. A Matter of Representation- Do you really want other people to decide who represents you? You are not just voting for the president when you vote, you are voting for your congress people both in the State and the Nation. The smaller-scale an election is, the more your vote counts, so don't forget to vote in midterm elections (only about 20-30% of my age group turns out for these elections)!
3. Your Opinion Matters- There are very specific propositions on the ballot which effect your state and/or your county. For example, in California, there are two propositions dealing with education funding, and one regarding the death penalty. Many people have strong stances on matters such as these, and because these elections are on a much smaller scale, your vote is much more likely to count.
4. Draw Attention to Matters that Matter to Us- Most politicians believe that young people don't care about issues, so they do not cater their policies to us. Let's draw more attention to ourselves so that proposals look more into issues that matter to us, such as higher education.
5. It is Your Duty- As John F. Kennedy once said: "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."
6. Put Your Future in Your Own Hands- What you think matters! This is an opportunity for you to cast your opinions about how government should behave. You control this country, and when you do not vote, you let other people control it instead. Do you trust others with your future? I sure don't.
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