First of all, I want to start by saying, "I understand." As recently as a year ago I was your average high school student, and like many Americans, I had very little interest in politics. Every election cycle, whether it be national, state or local would go minimally noticed by myself. Now, flash-forward a year, and two semesters at one of America’s most politically active universities and things couldn’t be more different. Over the past year I’ve come to realize that caring about politics is equivalent to caring about what is going on around you. Each and every one of us is affected by political decisions. Engaging in politics is simply a way you can have a say in how our government is run, who our government is run by and what they do with their time in office.
We live in a democracy, and however flawed it may be, you still maintain the right to vote. I urge you to remember that while voting is a right, it is also a tremendous privilege. The right to vote for who we want to run our government and the laws we want to be governed by is a luxury that many around the world do not have. Yet still, voter turnout in the United States has hovered around 50-60% in the past five election cycles. Approximately half of those eligible to vote actually did so. At 18, I held many of the same reservations about politics that many Americans do. With more than 300 million people living in this country, how could my vote possibly count? How could I ever be expected to engage in in something so messy and complicated as politics on top of my already busy lifestyle? The thing is, despite how it may seem politics is only as complicated as you make it.
You say you don’t care about Politics, but do realize that most of the things you complain about exist in the way they do because of past political action. For as long as the United States has been a country people have constantly fought to insure that you had the ability to make a change Whether that be by advocating for new laws, protesting current legislation or electing officials that share our same values and visions for the future. A friend once told me “people should care about politics because whether or not they vote people still get elected”. Now, more than ever you should care about who those elected are, and what they are going to do to improve our future. In November, the most powerful positions in government are up for election. You not only have the chance to vote for our next President but for your states Representatives and Senators as well. The laws and policies of the future are largely determined by these elected officials so why not take the chance to have a say in your future?
