This election season has been everything from humorous to slightly terrifying. Between the two main candidates, America has seen a very interesting election full secrets, lies, and a lot of hate. Whatever your views and regardless of who's little bubble you'll be filling in, come Tuesday, we can all agree that this election has been anything but ordinary.
As with any election, a new group of voters are introduced to the world of politics and for many of us, it's an exciting thought to be able to cast our vote for who ever we chose. Of course, when I turned 18 I was excited to be able to participate in this election however, I found that as I tried to educate myself more on what I was voting for, rather than information, I was told who and what to vote for. As a first time voter, you want to start to understand how this crazy political system works but it's really tough to form your own opinions in a world where everyone wants you to see the world through their perspective. There are a lot of sources of pressure about the election from the media, your family, and friends.
The Media:
You can not turn on a T.V or radio without hearing some sort of commentary about the election or be forced to watch those awful ads for or against each candidate. A lot of younger people have Twitters and Facebooks giving them a new insight to politics trough people debating via social media constantly, sometimes even the candidates. Logging on to any social media site pretty much guarantees that you'll encounter something related to the election and when your seeing people you know and respect posting their thoughts it's really easy to get influenced by them. Also, celebrity support for candidates has been a huge part of this election. After every debate Saturday Night Live has a new skit making fun of each candidate but usually skewed in support toward one *cough cough* Hilary.
Friends:
This is especially dominant in the younger generation because for some people their friends reflect their identity. When you constantly hear your group of friends bashing one candidate and praising the other, obviously you're going to start to agree with their opinions. Also, a lot of people may feel pressure to vote for a specific candidate because if they express any interest or support in the opposing they feel judged or targeted by their peers.
Family:
Often people are influenced by the way their parents think and view certain aspects of life, a lot of first-time voters may assume that because their parents support one candidate this means they should as well. For those who live at home and continuously hear their family members talking about one candidate over the other, it is easy to feel as if this is the obvious choice for you.
Being a first-time voter, I know I definitely feel under-informed a lot of the time because more often than not people are telling you their opinions on subjects rather than explaining the facts to you. I've tried to stay informed by researching each topic during debates and watching/reading as much of the news as I can handle.
If you know a first-time voter, remember to inform them rather then push your views on them. Sometimes that's hard but it's so important for us to form our own opinions about everything.
If you are a first-time voter, vote!! Please please please vote it is so important to exercise that right. Make sure you research and inform yourself on what each candidate stands for and base your decision off that, not who your friends or family are voting for. Voting is so very important in this country so please participate and help try to push this country in the right direction.
