There's nothing more annoying than seeing someone post something like, "I'm too lazy to vote." It seems that we're all too lazy to do anything these days, but this is a new low. Many young people in this country don't understand the importance of voting, but I want to help change that. Voting is one of the most important things you can do as a citizen.
As American citizens, there are only a few civic duties that we are asked to do, such as follow the law, attend jury duty, and vote. These don't seem like very difficult things to do, yet we complain about doing each of these things.
We spend our entire childhoods waiting anxiously to turn 18, not because we want to be that age, but because of the new rights we gain with that number. These include being able to legally buy tobacco products and finally being able to vote. Once we finally turn 18 and are able to vote, many of us don't even do it!
This whole "too lazy to vote" thing is absolutely ridiculous. It's making the already low voter turnout even lower. Many Americans don't show up to the polls on Election Day because they don't think their vote matters, but it really does. Some candidates rely on a specific demographic to get a large portion of their votes. If you are part of a demographic that a candidate is aiming their campaign toward and you don't go out and vote at all, it seriously hurts them in the long run.
Not voting can also hurt you, as well. If you don't go out and vote for a candidate who is going to benefit you, someone who has a totally different idea of what's good for you might win. Here's the thing about voting: you are not allowed to complain about who wins an election if you did not go out and vote. You didn't even try and make an effort, so you really don't have a say in the matter.
Voting decides who our elected officials are. In a democracy, the people have the power to change the way the government is run if they are not happy with it. Take advantage of this basic right in our country and use it! Polling places are designed to be close to where you live so you don't have to make a big effort to travel to your polling place. So, don't be lazy.
As a generation who spends most of our time online, we (millennials) tend to only spend our time on things that interest us. Many of us are uneducated about voting and don't even know how to register or why voting is important. This is where the beauty of the Internet comes in. There are many different educational resources about elections and voting online.
If you don't know where your polling place is, there are plenty of websites that can tell you. If you don't know what day your state's primary is, there are plenty of websites that can tell you. The Internet can answer basically any question you might have about voting and elections. You might be surprised what you can learn in under 10 minutes from a simple Google search.
It's important for us to use our social media outlets to inform each other about things like elections. But, posting about politics and endorsing a candidate on social media means absolutely nothing if you don't go out and exercise your power to vote for that candidate.
By posting about a candidate online, you might think that you're influencing others to vote for that specific candidate so you don't have to, because you're just that lazy. You're wrong about that. You can't count on others to make a certain candidate win. You need to go out and make your own voice heard. Again, when your candidate doesn't win, you can't complain if you didn't go vote for them.
"Voting is not a one time act and a wizard saves everything."
Killer Mike, 2016.
Voting in the presidential election is important, but it's also important to vote in your local elections each year. Yes, Election Day is at an inconvenient time for many Americans. Who has time to go out and vote on a Tuesday when many Americans work 9 a.m. to 5 p.m?
Election Day is important, and if you can, you should make time to go out and vote. Leave for work a few minutes earlier and stop by your polling place on the way, or if waking up a little earlier is too much work for you, call in late. Go out and vote during lunch. Not voting because of work is not an excuse unless you work 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Next time you think of saying something like "I don't feel like going out to vote," or "my vote won't make a difference," remember that many other people are thinking the same thing. The impact that you can make with your vote is significant. If you want change in this country, staying silent about it won't make it happen (and neither will posting about it online!)
When it comes time for your primary, or Election Day if your primary has already passed, make sure that you are registered to vote and you go out and make your vote count!
Here is a great website that has lots of resources on primary dates and registration deadlines for each state. Voting is different for each state, so make sure you are informed about the rules and deadlines in your state.
If you are away at college, you might need to send in an absentee ballot to vote for your home state. There are deadlines to send in your ballot by, so make sure you know when you'll need to send yours. Again, each state's rules about absentee voting are different. Look here for more information.
Here's one that links to many different websites based on subject. If you are going to be 18 by the time Election Day comes around, you can register to vote now.
