Why College Students Should Care About The 2016 Presidential Election

As the 2016 presidential election is quickly approaching, I have pondered over the issues, the candidates, and the state of our country. Most young people are not interested in politics, and are more fascinated by things they can physically see affecting their personal lives. Young people think about the promises that presidential candidates make, although the promises may be empty. As a political science major, I understand the governmental framework, I have researched the records of the candidates, to see if they actually do what they say, and I see which candidate would make the United States better.

This is why young people should care:

1. Future Generations.

The presidential candidate who attains the office will affect how our children grow up through economic, international, and social policies. Our norms as we know them can change, and our children could grow up in a country we are not proud of. As young people, our children could have to repay all the debt that our country has accrued. The role of the president should be to try to decrease our debt. Past presidents have worked very hard not to pass the country's debt to future generations; why should now be any different?

2. It's your duty as an American.

Our Founding Fathers fought for us to have a free nation. No other country was like the United States; it was unprecedented. Other countries would have loved the opportunity to vote. There are dictators in other countries who prevent their citizens from voting. We were founded on the belief of liberty. The First Amendment gives us freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of association, and freedom of petition. It's our duty to preserve these rights and voice our opinion through our vote. Your vote matters.

3. Job Opportunities, Student Loans, and Interest Tax, OH MY!

When we get out of college, we expect for there to be a perfect job waiting for us. We live in a bubble where our lives are just dictated by our professors' syllabi and our parents' bank account. That is the only world we know.

However, after we graduate college, all the student loans we took out will weigh on us. We will be searching for a job, but the economy might be so bad that companies cut down on employees. Even if we get jobs, it might be with minimum wage. We will live from paycheck to paycheck with sky-rocketing interest tax rates, hardly breaking even. As a student, voting in the next election affects you more than you know. The president can influence the economy you live in, the health care you have to pay for, and the job market you will graduate into.