The United States of America; the self-proclaimed land of the free and home of the brave, has consistently had some of the worst voter turnouts of any developed country in the world. Despite being known for its democracy, the United States has a disturbingly low amount of registered voters show up come election time.
With the 2016 presidential election approaching, it's important to acknowledge the United States' poor voter turnout in recent years and make an attempt to turn it around. In the 2012 presidential election, only 53.6 percent of Americans who were eligible to vote did, according to the Pew Research Center. Even worse, in the 2014 midterm elections only 36.4 percent of eligible American voters cast a ballot, which marked the worst American voter turnout since 1942.
The right to vote has been a long and hard road for hundreds of thousands of Americans, yet many never vote. The 15th, 19th, and 26th Amendments, as well as the 1965 Voting Rights Act, were all created in order to end the disenfranchisement of voters in America. The 26th Amendment ensures that all American citizens over the age of 17 have the right to vote. This amendment has often been criticized for lowering the United States' voter turnout due to the fact that not many young people vote.
According to a 2014 U.S. census, only 45 percent of eligible Americans ages 18 to 29 voted. This means less than half of our nation's high school and college graduates are voting. Less than half of our country's future doctors, lawyers, teachers, and engineers are having their voices heard in elections where we choose our government representatives. Needless to say, this is unacceptable.
The Millennial generation, or Americans born between the years of 1982 and 2000, now make up over a quarter of the U.S. population, with roughly 83 million people. In addition to being the most diverse generation, Millennials are now the largest. The future of the United States lays in the hands of this generation. Every generation of Americans has had its turn taking charge of what we stand for as a nation, and now the challenge is up to Millennials.
If we want our government to represent and serve the American people, then we need to do our part in electing them. As America's youth, we have the potential to not only change the present, but mold the future of this country. If all eligible American youths vote, then the change that many are looking for will come.
The next time you're on your cellphone or laptop, don't go on Netflix and don't update your Twitter feed. Instead, take a few minutes to register to vote. Look up some of the substantive issues that our country and its future leaders will face. Voice your opinions and ask questions.
America didn't become the country it is today because people were passive about their beliefs. We, as Millennials, have to be the change that we want to see in this country, and it all starts with a vote.
