There are a lot of people talking about the presidential election process being "rigged" and they're starting to think that their vote won't actually make a difference, but voting is extremely important. There is so much change happening in our country right now, and we’ve been granted the opportunity to make an impact on it. On average, only about 38% of people in the millennial age range actually vote, and that is not okay. Here are five reasons that voting, especially as a millennial, is important.
1. We do live in a democracy.
A democracy is a government run by the people, for the people. We have rights that many other countries don't have, such as free speech, freedom of religion, and the right to vote. However, these rights also come with responsibilities. We are responsible for making our country a safe place to live in, and for electing leaders to keep it this way. A democracy only works if citizens are actively voicing their opinions. So, if we aren't getting out to vote, how are our leaders supposed to know what we want and provide that for us?
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2. Nobody else considers the perspective of a college student while voting.
In this election there has been a lot of talk of student loans, education standards and free tuition for public colleges and universities, and there is nobody better qualified to voice their opinions on this than current college students. According to the American Action Forum, college tuition has more than doubled in the past 30 years, and has outpaced inflation by 2 to 4 percent. We are the ones being directly impacted by this, so we should be the ones influencing these decisions.
3. So many have fought for our right to vote.
When the United States was first founded, only White men who owned property were given the right to vote. Over the years, many Americans have fought and died to give all of us that right. Many women went to jail and suffered inhumane treatment during their fight. During the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans suffered violent attacks from state and local police for their peaceful protests against discriminatory voter suppression. If we waste this right, then these people will have fought for nothing. That's not fair to anybody involved.
4. We're adults now, and so a lot of the issues being discussed will have a huge influence on us soon.
Within the next few years we will be getting jobs, owning or renting homes, paying for health care, and starting families. The policies we'll be voting on in November will directly affect our lives after college, so why would we leave it up to anyone else? We need to stand up for what we believe in.
5. Most of us would be hypocrites if we didn't vote.
I see so many of my peers posting all over social media about how awful these people could be for our country or how much they'd rather see one candidate in office over the other. People get so heated when it comes to these topics, verbally attacking each other and spewing out fact after fact about each candidate. The way I see it, what's the point in putting so much energy into getting your point across if you're not going to do anything about it? Both candidates kind of suck right now, we all know it. But if you don't suck it up and decide on someone you agree with more, someone really awful could take control of our country.
As countless celebrities share videos telling us to get out and vote, I can't help but wonder why we even need that push. This election is going to be a turning point in the history of our nation. We have been given the opportunity to help write that history, and it's our responsibility to make sure we have a happy ending. Our voices matter.
