As millennials, we often advocate for our voices to be heard, and campaign for those whose voices are not recognized in the general public. We are one of the most progressive generations, and yet so many have preemptively chosen to not vote in this upcoming presidential election.
Now why would a progressive generation that values representation not jump at the chance to influence the next four years of their government?
According to many college students and adults across the country, it is because they believe that neither candidate is fit for the presidency.
It does not matter which political party you identify with, which candidate makes you cringe or which bumper stickers you have pasted all over your back windshield. It does not matter if you don't identify with any party. Voting remains one of the most important civic duties that we as American citizens possess.
The percentage of American registered voters in 2012 hovered around half of all eligible voters, which trails significantly behind most developed countries (PewResearch). A voting body politic is like a muscle, it will wither away if it is not regularly exercised. The less interested the general population is in voting, the more likely it is that political decisions will be made by other entities- corporations, lobbyists and self interested government official. These oligarchical components are not to blame, however, for as Montesquieu states: "The tyranny of a prince in an oligarchy is not so dangerous to the public welfare as the apathy of a citizen in a democracy." The core of a democracy is the individual voice, and in a republic, that voice is your vote. If we do not vote, we have no voice.
According to the census, less than 50 percent of citizens ages 18-29 voted in the 2012 election, compared to 59.5 percent turnout for ages 30-44, 67.9 percent for ages 45-64, and 72 percent for ages 65 and older. The decisions that our country makes now will affect our generation the longest out of the entire voting population, and yet we contribute the least to American politics. If we do not like the direction of our political system but do not actively participate, in a way we have to one to blame but ourselves.
A vote on November 8th is more than just a vote for you. It is a vote for our generation- a vote for our democracy.
https://www.census.gov/prod/2014pubs/p20-573.pdf
