First and foremost, I want to start by saying that this article is not supporting nor bashing on any of the presidential candidates. I’m merely here to give the world my opinion on why my generation is frustrated with American politics. It’s no lie that this upcoming election is going to be (and already has been) one of the most brutal elections in American history. However, what makes it any different from every other election in the past? The answer to that popular question is: the Millennials.
The Millennial generation makes up one third of the entire voting population. This generation has nearly caught up to the mighty generation of “Baby-boomers”. The millennials’ population includes 69.2 million eligible voters, and the Baby-Boomers include 69.7 million voters. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure this shows how large the Millennial generation really is. Although the millennial generation doesn’t have defined dates of birth, it generally includes anyone born from the 1980’s - 2000’s.
Although you could argue that I’m at the end of the millennial generation (considering I was born in 1998) this shows how many Americans are included into this generation. A lot of times when people speak down on my generation, they assume it’s just us silly teenagers born in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. However, most don’t even realize that some millennials are already 30 years old.
You’re probably wondering where this article is going. Well here we go. The reason I chose to write an article on this subject is because I truly want the different generations to be able to understand each other, and the way that we all think. This year, I turned 18 years old. We all know what that means: voting eligibility. How scary is that, right? Exactly, it shouldn’t be scary, but for a lot of people my age, it is. Now this next part might seem childish, but I’ve been wanting to say this. The worst part about this election for me personally is the fact that I’ve been waiting 18 years for this election stuff, and now that I can finally vote, I feel as if I haven’t been presented with the best options.
Another reason why millennials are feeling confused is because the generation that raised us is also used to having a large influence in politics. The millennial generation has the capability to virtually change the political world if it wants to. However, now that we have the influence, we aren’t sure how to handle it. This current election has been highlighting the fact that this generation is simply at a toss up with how we want to approach the political field. Therefore, the biggest trend that I have noticed, is that our generation has a tendency to go against what we don’t want, rather than promoting what we do want. Being the millennial member that I am, I have asked quite a few people who they think they’ll be voting for. The most common answer I got was “Trump, but just to keep Hillary out.” or “Hillary, just to keep Trump out.” Now let me tell ya, that’s a very unsettling feeling.
This is where the problem lies. If we don’t support the people we do want, and only bash the ones we don’t, we will accomplish nothing. However, I personally think this goes back to the fact that this generation is simply scared. Mostly because we know that whatever is decided, we will be the ones inheriting it.
Finally, the biggest issue we face: voter turnout. I know that this is such a common topic, but it is for good reason. I’m here to tell not only my generation, but every generation, that the only way you will ever do your job as an American is if you vote. It doesn’t matter how large your generation is, if you don’t vote, your size means nothing.
