Now that we are in the year of 2016, this year's elections seem to be looming over us. Not only that, but the primaries seem to be slowly creeping towards us. While you may not know who you're voting for yet, whether it be a Republican or Democrat, decision time is almost here. If you're voting, for us michiganders we have to make our decision on who we want to vote for within our party.
For some college students, voting can seem tedious and boring. However, it doesn't matter if it is tedious or boring, voting is something that every citizen who is old enough should be doing. There is really no excuse for someone over the age of 18 to sit at home instead of going to the voting booth on the day of the primaries and the elections.
There are several reasons why people choose not to vote. In my opinion, they're not very good reasons and can be argued.
One of the biggest reasons I've heard over the years is people stating they are not educated enough to vote. Whether it be on the voting process or the candidates, they think because they feel as if they don't know a lot, they shouldn't vote. However, if someone really cares enough to vote, they will educate themselves. It doesn't take much to pull up the internet and research a candidate and their platforms. If people don't know how the voting process works, they can just type it into their google search bar or find a website that explains everything they need to know.
Another excuse I commonly hear is that they don't care who it is. Why wouldn't you care who is running the country? While there is a system to ensure checks and balances, the President is ultimately the head, face and voice of the country. We should care about who will be the next President and we should care about their platforms and new ideas that could either help or hurt the United States.
Going out of town is another reason people tend not to vote, whether they are going on a trip out of the country, out of the state or just out of their town, it suddenly becomes impossible for them to vote. However, getting an absentee ballot is possible. By getting an absentee ballot you are able to fill out your ballot before going away and send it in. This ensures that you are getting your votes in, even when you're on vacation.
One of our biggest civic duties is voting. Picking the next leader of the country should be something that people are excited to do. Even though some people may not think their vote counts for something, it really can change everything, especially if all the people that think that vote. It can change the outcome of any election.
