Nowadays, it seems like everyone is a political expert. My Facebook and Twitter news feeds are stocked with shared videos slamming all the presidential candidates and people writing long statuses explaining why they feel the way they do about a certain policy, candidate or public relations stunt. And while everyone has freedom of speech, and therefore "freedom of post," it really concerns me when I see comments that are inaccurate, disrespectful and just downright stupid.
I am in no way a political expert, and I certainly don't act like one. Sure, I have my favorite in this presidential race and I'm passionate about a lot of the issues that they individually disagree on, but I keep that to myself. I know I don't know everything, so I don't act like it. I'm always willing to have conversations with others who have differing beliefs because that's how we learn from each other. But the thing that irks me the most about all the social media opinions is that I know not everyone who has something to say about this presidential race will actually go to the polls and vote in November.
The US Census reports that in the 2012 presidential election, only 15.4 percent of the eligible voting population of people ages 18-29 actually voted. 15.4 percent. That statistic is shockingly low. In a country where young adults are so influential, it startles me that not nearly enough are doing anything about it. Especially for college students like ourselves, the next four years will bring us out of school and into the job market. Shouldn't we be concerned about the state of the economy, the distribution of wealth in our country and gender inequality? Maybe some of us will travel the world or look for work overseas, so shouldn't we be concerned with our country's foreign policies and the relations we have with other nations worldwide? Some of us will still be in school for all four of the upcoming years, so shouldn't we be paying close attention to the cost of education and the rising number of school shootings happening on campuses across the country? The list goes on and on.
So in these next upcoming months, I stress to people our age: educate yourselves and go out and vote! Voting for a presidential candidate should in no way be an eenie-meeny-miny-mo type of decision. It also shouldn't be a decision based on the family you grew up in or who your friends might tell you is the best choice. Do some research on the candidates and find out their opinions on major issues. Don't wait until the last minute to register to vote! Next time you go to post on social media about gun control, foreign policy, the economy, national security, healthcare, environmental issues, immigration, etc, remember to also share those opinions at the polls in November.
Your words are meaningless unless you act on them.
