Turning 18 is filled with rites of passage. You can buy lottery tickets, you can make medical decisions without parental influence, you can apply for a credit card, and most importantly, you can begin to voice your opinion in political matters by voting. For those of us born before November 1998, we have the special privilege of being able to vote for president at age 18.
As this presidential race continues to sour, many of us 18-year-olds have shifted to extreme sides of the political spectrum and are feverishly supporting their chosen candidate relentlessly with showing little respect or tolerance to the other side's candidates and supporters. Yes, this goes for both sides. But I don't think this race is one I care to take part in, so I have decided to not vote for the following reasons.
My state is not a swing state.
If we lived in a direct democracy, this reason might be invalid. However, the United States is a republic, and so I am voting in a collective group to determine which candidate takes all of our points. I've heard time and time again, "Every vote matters. Your vote is important. You could be the one person to change everything." But I'm a New York resident, and New York has consistently voted Democrat for the last thirty years. Even if I was a diehard Clinton supporter, my vote does not matter, at least here. New York has never been a red state, there has never been a swing vote in New York presidential electoral history, and in the past fifty years, the only Republicans to win New York have been Reagan (twice) and Nixon. Regardless of my party, New York votes overwhelmingly blue and so voting for either major candidate would simply be a waste of my time or effort.
I would be voting with an absentee ballot.
Even though I'm moving to a different majority-blue state for school, I don't have residency there and would be voting as a New Yorker with an absentee ballot. These ballots need to be mailed in forty-five days in advance to count, and a lot can happen in forty-five days. Possibly enough can happen that would make me want to switch candidates completely. But at that point, too late, I'm stuck with what I mailed in and have to live with that. I'd rather vote with all the information that everyone else gets than with only some of it. Plus voting machines are fun. Envelopes, not so much.
I'm not an informed citizen (and don't have the desire to become one).
I've heard so many people mock other voters, specifically young voters, as being uninformed and voting for candidates for the wrong reasons or without hearing the full truth. I've heard people say too many times, "There should be a current events test for people to pass before they vote." And while this idea isn't really feasible, the point is still made: citizens should know their candidate's platform, voting history, positions, and everything else before voting. Young voters are some of the most informed out there and have done the research, I simply am not one of them. I find myself much happier without involving myself in political discussion and between activities and work, I don't really have the time or interest to keep up on what's going on in DC. It's not an obligation to stay informed, and politics isn't for everybody. Maybe I'll become informed later on, but for right now I'm fine with staying away from all the hubbub happening in the Trump and Clinton camps. It's only fair that I not vote if I don't want to be updated on political platforms and drama.
It's a valid option.
This should be enough of a reason right here, but to some, it's not. Ever since I was young, I've been trained and drilled on the fact that it is our right and duty to stay informed on political matters and vote. "We must vote, because we're American." "We must vote, because we left the UK so that we could have a say." Yet I don't see SWAT, the FBI, local police, or anybody arresting anyone for not voting. This is not North Korea, where you must vote and vote for a Kim only. We often forget that voting is completely optional. If you don't feel that your party's candidate or their opposition is right for you, it's much better to not vote at all than to settle for voting to merely support your party.
In the end, it's my decision to actively not vote and I feel I can live with that decision more than if I decided to vote in this particular election. I trust America to make the decision it was granted to make, and can only hope for the best outcome regardless of the winner.
