It's extremely important as a citizen and young person to keep informed on issues and elections. Casting your vote is one of the most influential powers you have as an American. With this in mind, why do so many people, particularly young people, forego their right to vote? Why do we not keep informed and involved? There's a multitude of reasons from a lack of time to disinterest. Of course, no one can force you to vote and get involved in politics and I'm sure you hear this all the time, from your professors to your parents, they encourage getting involved. The thing is, getting involved in the democratic process is so much more important than you think it is.
I've had many of my peers tell me "I would vote but it doesn't mean anything in the end." Imagine if everyone who uses an excuse like that went and voted? How much would voter turnout in America increase? From what I can tell, it would increase greatly. Beyond actual participation in elections comes the process of staying involved (or at least informed). Politics is as much a popularity contest as it is an important part of the American democratic process, the big personalities and bold statements come second to policy and educated voting. While keeping up on candidates can be important, the real focus should stay on policy and how issues affect you and the things you care about.
More than you know, bills, candidates, interest groups, politicians and corporations affect your lives than you think. Bills passing in Congress for a particular issue may at times contain unrelated language that can enact other laws or policies irrelevant to the bill itself, frequently referred to as "pork barrel" legislation. Furthermore, lobbyists and interest groups in Congress, from PhRMA to the NRA, lobby congress to pass legislation in their favor. Corporations have a huge influence on politics. Good or bad, they have cemented themselves as an integral part of our political system and must be viewed as one in order to properly monitor their actions. Wall Street banks and powerful billionaires like the Koch brothers pour millions of dollars into elections and candidates, an important thing voters need to keep an eye on and think critically about before they arrive at the polls.
Issues also affect us directly, from social issues like federal Planned Parenthood funding to raising the minimum wage, many issues are extremely relevant to young adults. Raising or keeping the minimum wage the same directly affects many students who work part time jobs. Planned Parenthood can potentially assist many young adults with pregnancy, unexpected or not, but on the other side, many do not like having to pay taxes in order to keep Planned Parenthood funded.
All in all, staying informed on politics and more importantly, participating in elections is a duty young adults should keep up on to the best of their ability. Issues of today directly affect all of us and staying current on them is the best way to ensure a future you want to see.
