Why College Students Should Vote In Every Election | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics

18 Reasons Why College Students Should Vote In Every Election, Especially Midterms

Young adults are the least likely demographic to vote, but here's 18 reason why they should.

183
18 Reasons Why College Students Should Vote In Every Election, Especially Midterms

Voting is your democratic right, and it's the best way for citizens to create change in the government. Despite this, a recent poll from the Public Religion Research Institute and the Atlantic shows only 28% of 18-29 year olds are "absolutely certain" they are voting. With so many divisive issues consuming American politics today, it's more important than ever to vote.

It's the basis of democracy.

Our country can not work if citizens do not vote. Democracy means "rule of the people." If the people do not rule, who will?

You can prove Baby Boomers wrong.

Older generations see Millennials and Gen Z as lazy and self-absorbed. This is disproven by groups like March for Our Lives, which was created by high school students. Voting allows you to join other young people in creating change.

Speaking of Baby Boomers, don't let them create a future they won't be around to witness.

Young voters are the ones who will be forced to live with the consequences of legislation that is being made now. Baby Boomers, who are the largest group of voters, are making decision that they won't have to live with. You will.

Uber will you take you there for free.

To encourage voting, especially in poorer communities, Uber has promised to offer free rides to those who need them to travel to the polls.

“We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” 

- Thomas Jefferson

65,000 individuals were wounded or killed in the Revolutionary War to create our country.

They fought for your right to participate and live in a democracy.

Suffragettes were arrested and tortured to allow women to vote.

Their struggles were all worth it; in 1920 the 19th Amendment was ratified.

40 lives were lost to guarantee the minority right to vote.

Their loss is remembered in the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

More than 2.8 million servicemen and women have been killed or injured defending your freedom.

Since 1775, almost 3 million US citizens have been casualties of war.

“Bad officials are elected by good citizens who don’t vote.”

- George Jean Nathan

It's easy to find a convenient location near you.

With over 100,000 locations to vote, there's a polling place near you.

Not voting means you're co-signing on everything that is going wrong in our country.

If you have issues with the world around you and you don't actively try to change things, then you are complacently allowing them to continue.

Every vote really does matter.

Elections can be extremely close. A New Hampshire Senate race was decided by two votes in 1974.

“If you don’t vote, you lose the right to complain.”

- George Carlin

In midterm elections, you vote for people who will directly affect you.

In midterms you don't vote for the president, but for local officials who have a much bigger impact on your day-to-day life.

Our generation is the most diverse yet, and we have more points of view than ever.

Despite the American Gen Z generation being 47% non-white, our Congress does not reflect this. If these young people vote in a way that reflects their heritage, then all of their rich backgrounds and cultures can be reflected in the government.

It's your civic responsibility.

Voting isn't required, but it's important if you want to be an active and effective citizen.

“Because the rest of us are depending on you.” 

- Marv DeBoy

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

The 5 Painfully True Stages Of Camping Out At The Library

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

109
woman reading a book while sitting on black leather 3-seat couch
Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

And so it begins.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 14 Stages Of The Last Week Of Class

You need sleep, but also have 13 things due in the span of 4 days.

212
black marker on notebook

December... it's full of finals, due dates, Mariah Carey, and the holidays. It's the worst time of the year, but the best because after finals, you get to not think about classes for a month and catch up on all the sleep you lost throughout the semester. But what's worse than finals week is the last week of classes, when all the due dates you've put off can no longer be put off anymore.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

28 Daily Thoughts of College Students

"I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever else invented copy and paste. Thank you."

776
group of people sitting on bench near trees duting daytime

I know every college student has daily thoughts throughout their day. Whether you're walking on campus or attending class, we always have thoughts running a mile a minute through our heads. We may be wondering why we even showed up to class because we'd rather be sleeping, or when the professor announces that we have a test and you have an immediate panic attack.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

The Great Christmas Movie Debate

"A Christmas Story" is the star on top of the tree.

2084
The Great Christmas Movie Debate
Mental Floss

One staple of the Christmas season is sitting around the television watching a Christmas movie with family and friends. But of the seemingly hundreds of movies, which one is the star on the tree? Some share stories of Santa to children ("Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"), others want to spread the Christmas joy to adults ("It's a Wonderful Life"), and a select few are made to get laughs ("Elf"). All good movies, but merely ornaments on the Christmas tree of the best movies. What tops the tree is a movie that bridges the gap between these three movies, and makes it a great watch for anyone who chooses to watch it. Enter the timeless Christmas classic, "A Christmas Story." Created in 1983, this movie holds the tradition of capturing both young and old eyes for 24 straight hours on its Christmas Day marathon. It gets the most coverage out of all holiday movies, but the sheer amount of times it's on television does not make it the greatest. Why is it,
then? A Christmas Story does not try to tell the tale of a Christmas miracle or use Christmas magic to move the story. What it does do though is tell the real story of Christmas. It is relatable and brings out the unmatched excitement of children on Christmas in everyone who watches. Every one becomes a child again when they watch "A Christmas Story."

Keep Reading...Show less
student thinking about finals in library
StableDiffusion

As this semester wraps up, students can’t help but be stressed about finals. After all, our GPAs depends on these grades! What student isn’t worrying about their finals right now? It’s “goodbye social life, hello library” time from now until the end of finals week.

1. Finals are weeks away, I’m sure I’ll be ready for them when they come.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments