“Progress takes place when young people pick up the torch and say ‘This is a world we are going to change.’” Senator Bernie Sanders (9/2/16, 4:39 PM)

With the upcoming Presidential Election, it has never been more important for the young people of America to have their voice heard. So many times are we told that as “young adults” we are uneducated and have no proper representation in the world of politics. However, with this day and age, it is nearly impossible for anyone to have such little knowledge of political events, specifically elections. As a society, we have progressed monumentally. From the acceptance of the LGBT+ community to the ever expanding education and gun law reform; I feel that as the newest generation to enter the political sphere, we should take it upon ourselves to become informed on the pressing issues and how each candidate responds so that we can vote based on what we think is best. I implore you, as an 18-year-old, to take it upon yourself to learn the values and policies of each candidate and vote. In this election, everyone’s voice matters and we, as a demographic, can make a difference in the future of our nation.

In recent years, the United States Census had shown a sharp increase in the number of young adult voters, "First in 1992, when 18-24-year-old voting rates rose to 42.8 percent, and then again in 2004 when young-adult voting rates increased to 41.9 percent." However, these rates have fluctuated and eventually dropped 38.0% during the 2012 Presidential election, but I believe that they will rise again in 2016. Before this past year, I have never seen very much social interaction concerning the election among my classmates; but this year more and more people are commenting in class, posting on Twitter, Facebook, or sharing news articles about the news that directly relates to the election and its primary candidates.

Whether or not you are passionate about the current mainstream issues concerning the nominees, it is still important to look at their policies on things you are passionate about which they may not directly discuss. The first primary debate is on Monday, September 26th, 2016 and will be broadcasted on all the main news channels beginning at 9 PM (EST).

The standing primary candidates for 2016 are Hillary Clinton (Democrat) and Donald Trump (Republican), with third-party candidate Gary Johnson (Libertarian) behind them. While each of these candidates has some scandal, controversy, or misunderstood phrase following them in the media, many have already formed their opinions on whom they wish to vote for, and now it is up to you to make yours.