Presidential election years are exciting and nerve-wracking. Voting for our next president is so important, especially for young people like ourselves.
With all the media hype and slander, some people find it difficult to choose a candidate that they identify with. It is also hard to differentiate between a reliable source and a biased source, and this makes learning about the candidates that much harder.
Most people know a few basics: Fox News is famous for leaning conservatively, despite their tagline “Fair & Balanced.” While NBC and CNN are typically considered to be more on the liberal side.
Despite the limited number of completely unbiased sources, it is still possible to learn about the candidates and draw your own conclusions. Watching the debates is a good way to get a feel for the different candidates.
Voting is one of our many privileges as free Americans, and it is important to take advantage of it. A famous ad campaign called "Rock The Vote" was started in 1990 and encourages young people to get out and vote, for any candidate, as long as they are voicing their opinions. Their recent ads feature popular young celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Miranda Cosgrove in an attempt to reach their desired audience. It is campaigns like this that remind young people that their votes matter.
We have a voice in which direction our country goes. Donald Trump is continuing to make headlines for his bold, unfiltered statements regarding just about every issue, but does this make him more or less likely to gain supporters? Hillary Clinton has the chance to make serious history if she is elected, as the first female president, but does she have enough support within her own party?
A lot of young people don’t want to vote, for whatever reason. An excuse I personally hear a lot is that they “don’t know anything about politics,” but you don’t have to be an analyst for CNN to voice your opinion. That’s one of the things that makes this country great, everyone's opinion matters. Whether they are listened to or not is another story, but expressing your opinion through a ballot is the first step in making your country what you want it to be.
I would encourage everyone to take advantage of their right to vote, even if their political opinions are completely different than my own. At the end of the day, we all just want our country to be better, but just have different ideas on the right way to do it.
