My whole life, I’ve always told myself that I when I turned 18, I wasn’t going to vote in the upcoming presidential election. The whole idea of voting seemed pointless to me. We check off a name on the ballot, receive an “I voted” sticker and that’s it, we’re done. I’ll admit, flaunting the tiny sticker across my chest seems pretty stylish, as it would make for a great fashion statement. But let’s be real, it’s not like it would come to the point where the entire presidential election would be determined by my one vote like it did in the movie "Swing Vote."
I’ve never found politics to be interesting, and having to take U.S. Government classes in high school was always a bore. There was nothing I hated more than listening to my fellow peers argue about the legislative and executive branches and having to engage in a heated discussion regarding Obama’s presidency. As teenagers who are constantly glued to our cell phones, I’ve noticed that we tend to take to social media platforms, such as Twitter, on issues regarding politics, and we tweet as if we know what we’re talking about when in reality, the majority of us don’t.
I was raised in a household where my parents each supported different political parties. My dad, being the conservative man that he is, is a registered Republican. My mom, on the other hand, is registered as Democrat. Therefore, I’ve been torn in deciding which party to support for myself. Politically speaking, I’m a registered Republican, but my social views lean more towards the Democratic side. The whole idea of picking a side to vote for has always baffled me. How can I decide on which candidate I want to represent me when I can’t even decide what I want to eat for dinner each night?!
After spending time living in Alabama, I’ve realized that being 18 has little to no meaning. Since the legal age in Alabama is 19, I’m restricted from doing so many things. Legally, I can’t sign a lease for an apartment, I can’t get into bars, I can’t buy a pack of cigarettes (which I wouldn’t do, anyway), and if my phone were to break, I can’t go to the Verizon store to get it fixed or sign off to buy a new one. Instead, I would have to drive to Georgia, the next state over, and find the nearest Verizon store. The list of restrictions could go on, trust me. But it’s only now that I’ve come to realize that I’ve taken my right to vote at the age of 18 for granted.
As college students, we hold the future in the palms of our hands, and our votes are actually key in every election. In a few years, we’re going to graduate college, have jobs, pay for rent and health care, and possibly start our own families. Since many topics such as the cost of college, student loan rates, and education standards are involved in this upcoming presidential election and having experienced these issues first hand, there’s a lot at stake for us. It’s important that we take advantage of our right to vote and have a say in what our futures hold. Who knows, I could even be attending the same college as the future president of the United States!
