This November, the United States will hold the midterm elections, where all seats in the House of Representatives and 35 seats in the Senate will be contested. With the emergence of our generation as eligible voters, we can finally bring our power, knowledge, and opinions to the polls. In fact, our votes have the potential to bear significant weight on the outcome of the midterm elections — if we vote. The millennial generation accounts for a considerable percentage of the overall electorate, and the usual turnout for the midterm elections is substantially less than for presidential elections. Therefore, by increasing the voter turnout for our percentage of the electorate, we can make our voices heard in the government. We can speak up for the policies we believe in, and we can fight against those we don't.
The primary reason people choose not to vote is that they dislike both the Republican and the Democrat parties, and this may be true for you as well. If this is the case for you, you have even more of a reason to vote. There are several third parties in the United States, and many citizens (especially millennials) feel that a third party is needed. When you register to vote, register for the party that you want representing you in government, even if that isn't Democrat or Republican.
By doing this, you ensure that you vote for a party you feel confident in, which is preferable to casting a vote for a party you dislike less than the other. The United States two-party system is only as powerful as we allow it to be. Through voting for parties that we actually want representing us in our government, we can break this cycle. And, to begin the work needed to break this cycle, we have to vote. We have to vote for our Senate, for our House, for our presidents, governors, and even mayors.
The power is yours. Use it.