The election of the next President of the United Sates is this year, and a large concern for Americans is voting. America has been experiencing a very low voter turnout in recent years, especially in younger voters. The low voter turn out is concerning, especially for the Democrats who rely heavily on this younger generation. Many people complain that their single vote wont change anything, but with recent voter turnouts being around 63%, the portion of American's that didn't vote could completely change elections.
Most people see their vote as just that, one vote for a candidate of their choice. However, a singular vote is much more powerful than that. Your vote could essentially negate another person's vote. When you vote, it takes two votes of the opposite side to defeat yours. Your vote is twice as powerful as you think it is, and can cost more than you think.
Still, many people believe that their vote, no matter how powerful, won't change much. That is false. Look at Florida in the 2000 presidential election. If a few hundred more people voted, we could have had President Al Gore instead of President George Bush. Your vote will always matter, even if you don't win. By voting, you support your beliefs and ideals, and if you refuse to vote you accept defeat and the change you want will never happen.
Take the current election, even if you don't support either candidate I would urge you to still vote. When you refuse to vote, it isn't a protest, it's like playing a game and saying pass. You'll never win. Even if you hate both candidates, I urge you to chose a lesser of two evils. Every human has beliefs and ideals, and one candidate represent your ideas more. Even if you detest Secretary Clinton or Donald Trump, I urge you to do it.
We as Americans have been given a special privilege, we can choose the direction we believe our country should go. There exists countries ruled by dictators and kings that oppress and silence their citizens, and yet we can speak and choose freely. Groups of American's have fought too hard and too long for the right to vote for us to refuse our civic duty.
This article isn't to push a specific group to vote, not democrats, millennials or republicans. This article is for everyone, voting is a civic duty in America, and we need to exercise that right. We have been given a voice, and yet people still deny themselves that power. When Americans don't vote, they silence themselves and our country cannot work when the voices of everyone can not be heard.
