It's October, which means cool weather, football games, pumpkin spice lattes, and most importantly, that we're just about a month out from the 2016 general election. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump just battled it out in their first presidential debate last week, and up here soon we'll be seeing Tim Kaine and Mike Pence doing the same thing. With our countdown ticking, I thought it would be important to share some tips for getting YOUR voice heard this election season.
1. Do your reading on the candidates.
As active, engaged citizens, it's important that we are getting information from credible sources and developing opinions using our own sense of judgment. Some of my favorite websites to get news from include BBC, NPR, CNN, The Guardian, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy, and the Economist. Many of these news sources are based outside the United States, meaning that it gives a relatively unbiased analysis of current news events. Make sure you're doing your reading and fact-checking!
2. Register to Vote.
If you will be 18 or older by November 8th (the date of the general election), you can register to vote. If you are on a college campus, usually there are stations where you can register to vote. If not, it's a really easy process online. If you plan to vote outside of the county you are a permanent resident of, make sure that you fill a request for an absentee ballot. College students, I'm talking to you. These forms can be found online, and your ballot will be sent to your current address. Make sure to fill it out early so that it gets to your county's election office by Election Day. Make sure your friends are doing it too - post the link to the forms on Facebook, Twitter, etc. to keep everyone in the loop.
3. Election Day Isn't Just for the President
On November 8th, it's likely that you will have more options on your ballot than just Clinton vs. Trump. Oftentimes there are smaller elections going on in your state where your vote matters even more. An example of this are elections for your district's school board, or the state school board. Voting in these elections will directly impact you and your family a lot, so make sure you're voting.
4. Get your friends involved.
Young people, we can't complain about lack of representation in our society without even trying to get involved. Historically, young people have had really low voter turnouts. Educate your friends on the importance of voting. Start conversations on the way to class about politics. Get people interested, share your opinions, and others will follow suit. I think that 2016 can have the highest youth voter turnouts in history. Your vote counts!
5. Attend a meeting for a political organization on your campus.
If you're a college student, chances are there are political organizations for Democrats, Republicans, and everything in between. Especially if you're not sure where you fall on the political spectrum, I would encourage you to attend meetings for all types of political organizations and see if their ideas align with yours. You can also take political ideology quizzes online. Two of my favorite quizzes are ISideWith and the Political Compass quiz. It's important to develop your opinion and not vote blindly.
The future of the United States is in our hands, and we have just a little over a month until the next four years (give or take a few) of United States politics is shaped into something new. The 2016 election gives us a new chance to shape the world into what we want it to be, and it starts by electing qualified representatives to office. Your opinion counts, so don't forget to be a responsible voter.
