As this year's wild presidential election primaries come to a close, I think we should reflect on how the primaries and the 2016 election have impacted our lives. As we watched Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, among others, try to win the Democratic or Republican primaries, here are the three things that we have all learned from this election:
1. Vote!
This one is very important, if not the most important, especially for millennials. We outnumber every other age group in the country, but we don't turn up to the polls as much as the older people do. Don't only show up for the presidential elections; show up for local and state elections, those are important too! Yes, there're lots of problems with the voting system in the U.S., but don't let that stop you from showing up! Your voice and your vote counts! We need to let our voice be heard, because change happens when we all speak up.
2. Money runs politics.
This one's surely a given for most, but a lot of people didn't know this or have just kept continuing to think that it is the norm in politics. This election is proving that big money can't keep running politics. Everyone deserves to be represented by a candidate who is chosen by the majority, not the 1% with all of the money.
3. Hate cannot be a part of this country.
It's clear. So many horrific events have happened due to an individual's or a group's hate toward specific groups of people. Think of the awful number of mass shootings that have happened; attacks on people of color and the LGBTQIA+ community, just to start. Trump has gained so many supporters just by saying extremely racist things and by promising to build walls and make it hard to be a minority or even be against his views.
This election has become the most important for a lot of us. Maybe it's your first time voting in a presidential election, or even voting at all, but remember: vote! Let your voice be heard and let this be a reminder that we can have a say in who runs the country! Pay attention to politics and what the candidates stand for. Always be informed and woke!
