Voting. It is what democracy is all about. With the upcoming Presidential election approaching in seven short months, it is important to remember the significance of participating on election day. Voting is a civic responsibility of eligible citizens. It seems however, that individuals have no problem voicing their opinions about candidates and stances on important political issues, but do not turn up at the polls. Why?
The millennial vote is becoming increasingly more and more significant in determining the outcomes of campaigns as more of the millennial population becomes eligible to vote. According to the 2013 Pew Research Center report, millennials make up 25 percent of the eligible electorate. That's right, 25 percent of the decision is up to us. By 2020, that number will be 36.5 percent. So, why are we not using the power that we have? In the 2012 election, The U.S. Census Bureau estimated over 60 percent of voters over 45 years old participated. Only 49 percent of voters 25 to 44 participated. We gave up half of our voting capacity simply because we failed to show up.
Maybe it's because some of us really do not care about the political standings of our country. Possibly we feel that our vote does not count. Or, maybe we feel that we do not understand enough about the issues to make a well informed decision.
Obviously, this year's presidential election will be one for the history books no matter which of the remaining candidates become the democratic and republican noms and eventually President of the United States.
While politically charged memes, tweets, and photographs flood news feeds on all social media platforms, it is important for millennial to understand that what they post on Facebook does not constitute a vote. The only way that an opinion can become a reality is if you actually vote.
The overwhelming problem with the millennial generation is its inability to stay informed and aware of politics both within and outside of the United States. We are living in a digital world where we have incredible access to an abundance of news sources but we retain to using our time to instead support candidates without actually knowing the implications of the policies we are supporting. So if you are going to participate in voting, being a primary or the general election, please actually understand what you are voting for. We have to understand the effects of the power we have.
As the New York primary takes place this week, I encourage all registered voters to get out there and support the cause you believe in, regardless of which that may be. If we are so unsettled with the current operations of our government, is it not our responsibility as American voters to participate in its rectification? So stop complaining about what you dislike about your country and do something about it.
