Exercising your right to vote is one of the most important rights given to Americans. Your vote is your voice, and for many of us, the right to vote was something our ancestors and leaders before us fought for. Although voting has such high importance, there are many Americans who are not registered voters or choose to not participate in the election process.
The stigma given to young adults is that we typically do not vote. Research shows that voters between the ages of 18-24 have consistently low voting rates compared to other age groups. As an undergraduate student, I have met many students who are not registered. It seems that the motivation to become a registered voter is largely based on having an interest in social and political issues, or being affected by them. In 2016, the United States has seen an increase in political interest from younger voters. I can’t scroll through Facebook without seeing a post about the presidential candidates. The motivation of young voters is back and the results have created a movement.
The engagement of young voters this year is tremendous, and the energy from young voters is capturing much attention. The current level of engagement from voters hasn’t been this high since 2008, when President Obama first ran. Presidential candidates from both parties are working hard to appeal to younger audiences, however Bernie Sanders is the leading candidate for young voters. Sanders' supporters have grown in numbers due to their energy, strength in diversity, hope, insight, fearlessness, and by organizing through social media.
The success of his campaign and his increased support from young voters has resulted in derogatory comments from people who are just not “feeling the Bern”. The most offensive comment I’ve seen is that supporters are simply uninformed, and following trends. To judge people solely on how their views align with what’s currently trending is completely disrespectful. To imply that young voters aren’t capable of familiarizing themselves with current issues, and base their political beliefs on what seems to be popular is incredibly insulting.
As a young Democrat who is passionate about politics, I become very angry when people accuse Democrats of not being well-versed of the issues. Sanders attracts diverse populations, often under-represented in other campaigns. With such a great audience, that deals with a variety of issues, it is completely ridiculous for naysayers to place every Sanders' supporter under the umbrella of “not being informed”. All voters have their reasons for voting for the candidates they choose to support. To say that someone is leaning towards a candidate because it’s trending, is to discredit that person’s reality and why he or she believes in their selected candidate. It’s not a desired trend to work for inadequate wages. It’s not a desired trend to have insufficient health care. And it’s not a desired trend to be the victim of harassment and inequality due to your sexual orientation.
These are some of the issues that Bernie Sanders addresses in his campaign, and they form the bases of his widespread support.
