We're swinging around into that time of year again, infighting and arguments and maybe for once a sense of optimism that hey, things will get better.
That is a good thing, that sense of optimism is a wonderful thing indeed but it doesn't happen magically, and it doesn't happen by wishing. Voter apathy is a real and dangerous problem in the US, last presidential election only 46% of all registered voters under 30 cast a ballot.
That lack of turnout changes the whole complexion of events, according to pew last election despite being 43% of voters, people over 50 cast around 50% of votes. A democracy only works if everyone is involved, if a minority group can change an election that much, then the policies they favor are far more likely to be implemented,That impacts everyone else because we still live here and still are Americans regardless of the president.
If you've spent the past 4 years arguing at dinner tables, checking your phone and going "oh god what happened now" or bouncing from scandal to scandal to scandal and you don't like that feeling, you can do something about it!! If you're dissatisfied with the way things are going, if you see policies or actions that you can't defend, then do something about.
Importantly, even if a Candidate isn't "perfect" and you don't agree with every policy they have, not voting in protest is a waste. Not voting out of spite or because you can't find the perfect person who represents your views is to throwing away any political power you had out of pure bitterness. The margins are too small for that, there is too much at stake.
In 2000 the election was decided by 537 votes
In 2016 it was two states and less than a million votes combined in those two.
The difference here in Mississippi was less than 300,000 people, something that sounds like a lot but really isn't.
If 10% or 15% more people our age voted, those results would be wildly different, the fate of history would be different, and it's as simple as going online, looking up how to register, and taking action. Don't let it be more of the same this year, make your voice heard because every. vote. counts.
Look: most of the people reading this couldn't vote in '16, but it's fundamentally different this time around, YOU have a chance to make your voice heard in any way you wish. I get it, registering to vote and voting feel like a difficulty process, it feels like something that is too much of a hassle, but it isn't and especially given the importance of it.
Here's the link: https://www.usa.gov/register-to-vote
Go make a change.
