My senior year of high school I took an AP Government class, and on one's 18th birthday our teacher would give them their voter registration, instilling in us an urgency for us to vote. I, however, did not turn 18 until my freshman year of college but I carried this responsibility to vote with me.
Unfortunately this is not the general sentiment for my generation. The percentages of young people in America that are voting is alarmingly low. According to the Center for American Progress, in the 2012 election this generation had 64 million qualified voters but a mere 26 percent of them actually voted. And a report done by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University found that, in 2014, youth voter turnout plummeted to a new lowest record.There should be no excuses for this lack of political involvement. We live in an era where a world of information awaits at our fingertips. Because of this, we should be one of the most involved generations to date.
But maybe we find ourselves feeling insignificant. Utterly overwhelmed by the population size of America and left feeling that our vote simply does not matter. Or we might feel that the politics that are being handled hundred of miles away from us will not directly affect us. However, neither of these are true nor viable excuses. If 1,000 or 100,000 of us carry this same mentality we are essentially handing over our decisions to be made by someone else who did show up to vote. And yes, the verdicts being reached do affect us even if we do not feel the immediate repercussions.
Regardless of what excuse you might have for not voting, our ability to vote is not only our right and responsibility but also an enormous freedom. A freedom that not all people have. Many have fought and died for this right and some are still fighting. Voting is a right that we have just because we were fortunate enough to be born in this country. I do not have the capability to change how you perceive your level of importance within this country but I can help in spreading ways to take advantage of our ability to dictate how our country is governed.
1. Register To Vote
This is a seemingly obvious one but important, nonetheless. The easiest ways to do this is through completing voter applications either online or by mail.
2. Become Informed
From personal experience, I know that the amount of information thrown at us by the internet, television and media can often be so daunting that we disregard it all together. But I challenge you to start sifting through the drudge and find information that is pertinent. Look into what the implications are of the promises that candidates are making. And I cannot stress the importance of keeping an open mind as you do this research. Here are some apps that can make your search for information a bit easier:
- BriefMe: If you want it short and sweet, this app is for you. BriefMe will give you a list of the top 10 news stories, that are ranked according to the BriefMe score. You can also enable it to send you notifications with the three top news stories of the day. BriefMe is free on the App Store, and an Android version is coming soon.
- iCitizen: If you want to know about what matters to you, this app is for you. iCitizen organizes news based on issues and it allows you to choose organize it according to what issues matter most to you. iCitizen is free for Apple devices, Android devices, and Kindle.
-Brigade: If you're looking for some similarly minded young people, this app is for you. Brigade is best for building relationships between activists and is also used to encourage younger voters to share their opinions. Brigade is currently available for free in the App Store and Google Play.
-Politifact Mobile: If you have a particular distrust towards politicians and politics in general, this app is for you. Politifact will tell you how truthful any candidate actually is. Politifact Mobile is $1.99 on the App Store and on Google Play.
3. Get Excited!
You are taking part in something that is so much bigger than yourself. Don't let that scare you but get excited instead! Let your enthusiasm for your freedom to vote be contagious and inspire others around you to be just as fired up.
