On Tuesday night, from the comfort of my plush reclinable couch, I watched dumbfounded as the first presidential debate unfolded. Regardless of your political associations, it was clear from a purely rhetorical standpoint that Donald Trump was unprepared and unfit to answer a handful of the nation’s most pressing questions. Whatever your feelings toward Hillary Clinton may be, it would be foolish to deny that she was well-spoken, well-prepared and ready to provide specific solutions to the problems posed by moderator Lester Holt. Many question her honesty and some question her ability—I think she’s far from perfect, but - really - who isn’t?

As Trump continued to dodge questions and throw shade at Clinton for every problem that’s ever plagued America, I became increasingly discouraged about November’s election. My thoughts flew to many of my friends and acquaintances who have claimed that they’re not voting this election—“I hate them both,” is the typical reasoning. Great: the problem is they’re the only choices we’ve got, and people who opt out of voting are not going to change that. Whether you head to the polls or not this November, one of these two people will move into the White House.

Another common response I hear from my fellow millennials is “my vote doesn’t matter anyway.” I can see where the discouragement stems from—why should one teensy tiny vote matter in a sea of hundreds of millions? In theory, one vote doesn’t seem to matter much, but one vote combined with another vote, combined with another 69.2 million votes can absolutely make a difference—and that’s how many millennials are eligible to vote this November. According to the Pew Research Center, millennials have “surpassed Baby Boomers as the largest living generation, [and] now have caught up to the Boomers when it comes to their share of the American electorate.” People between the ages of 18-35 who are eligible to vote this year make up roughly 31% of the voting population—by comparison Baby Boomers represent about 31% as well, people ages 36-51 make up 25% and people ages 71 and up comprise just 12% of the voting population. This news is astounding for young people—it means we can make a change if we stop approaching elections with this “doesn’t affect me” kind of attitude.

We should want to be a part of this political process, no matter how frustrating or dismal it may seem because these candidates are going to shape our future. A frightening amount of issues on the table for this election directly impact young people—the lack of job prospects for college graduates, mounting college debt, an affordable housing crisis and a stagnant minimum wage. If these aren’t issues you care about now, you might care in four years once you’ve left college and your loan payments start piling up, or you realize how limited the job market is to a young person lacking experience.

I’m not here to tell you who to vote for or push a political agenda. I want my generation to approach this election from a human perspective. Take some time to seriously consider the kind of future you imagine for yourself and those around you. What job will you have, where will you live, what are your friends like, how is the political and economic climate of your country? Is the place you envision one where your leader instills a deep-rooted fear of anyone who looks different than you? Or is it one where strong, independent women are told that their place is on a stage for display? Is it a place where pregnancy is an inconvenience to businesses and you or your wife find yourself out of a job the moment you need one most? I highly doubt it.

Trump can yak on all he wants about Making America Great Again, but the ‘50s are over—we’re not a manufacturing powerhouse anymore. Let’s stop lamenting about what this country was and start figuring out what it will become. Clinton proposed a powerful sentiment about clean energy as a method for creating jobs and dominating the renewable resources industry, and several of our states have already proven that recreational marijuana is another industry generating jobs and money. We should be supporting a candidate who wants a better future for this country: a more comprehensive future that reflects the diverse world we live in and is able to adapt to the ever-changing needs of our people.

Some people want to vote but feel that they don’t possess enough political knowledge to make an informed decision. For us tech-savvy millennials, it’s easier than ever to learn about the candidates—not just the presidential ones but congressmen, senators, and judges. We should be leading this political discussion because we have all the information literally at our fingertips, so I am urging young people to take thirty minutes out of their day to research the candidates and watch the next two debates. As a generation who can finish an entire Netflix series in a day, we should be able to spend just 90 minutes listening to the words that fall from the mouths of our politicians and realize how essential our voices are to this election.

We all have a responsibility to ourselves and our country. What we decide now shapes our future tomorrow. The changes that are swept in with the next wave of politicians will not simply disappear after their time in office—they are here to stay. We are the ones who will feel the effects for the rest of our lives—not our parents, not our grandparents, but us because we are the future of this country. And once the votes are in, we can’t take back our choice. So, I advise you to read up on these candidates, watch the debates, think the issues through yourself. Don’t merely take the opinions of another at face value and mold them into your own—research and consider. And please, please, head to the polls this November. Millennials, in the words of my good friend Drizzy Drake, know yourselves, we can make anything fun—organize an election day brunch with your friends and take to the polls together afterwards, pregame with a classic game of Democrats v. Republicans beer pong (visuals pictured below). However you choose to celebrate and educate yourself, this country needs its you to stand up and be heard for the sake of our future and our prosperity.

If you aren’t already a registered voter, click here to sign up online.

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/15058979979974245/