It’s campaign season. You’ve been inundated with newspaper articles, media clips, and sound bites about the presidential candidates and their views and antics. With dozens of news sources to choose from and still more ways to access information, it's often difficult to even know how to begin tackling the information. However, one thing is for certain: 2016 is going to be a pretty big year for politics.
Maybe you’ve just turned 18 and are excited for your opportunity to vote, or it’s your first time voting in a big election, or you’re a seasoned politico. Nevertheless, be excited — you are playing a part in democracy!
Sadly, a large number of American citizens are choosing to simply not exercise their right to vote. With all the media coverage of wealthy donors and super PACs influencing campaigns or even the portrayal of corruption within the government on shows such as "Scandal" and "House of Cards," many citizens feel disillusioned. In the grand scheme of things, does one vote really influence anything? In their minds, their voices don’t matter.
But it hasn’t always been this way. In fact, constituents have fought for their right to be heard since the birth of the nation. "No taxation without representation," cried the early colonists. Remember the infamous Boston Tea Party? Although they resorted to questionable means, these citizens knew that they deserved their rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; but they couldn’t do it without the help of a good and fair government.
In the following years, many others fought for their voices to be heard. After long battles with local and state governments, African American citizens officially gained the right to vote with the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. And with the ratification of the 19th Amendment, female citizens triumphantly began to exercise their newfound right to vote. These people were passionate about pursuing their fundamental right to fight for a better life. They desired equality, and gaining suffrage was a giant step toward it.
Why, then, have contemporary Americans lost faith in their own voices? Why have some become complacent? In a world where gentrification and stratification are more prominent than ever, countless Americans feel that the enviable 1 percent, many of whom are big donors to candidates’ campaigns, overshadow any possible chance ordinary citizens have at having an influence.
In reality, there is no easy answer.
To be honest, I've been guilty of feeling like this at times. It is so easy to be uninformed, to fall back on life, to allow politics to take a backseat in priorities. However, I am lucky to be surrounded by incredible peers at an institution that values this right. It wasn’t until this spring break that I have been able to fully appreciate the potential of my impact upon the political sphere.
I recently came back from an alternative spring break (ASB) trip with 12 fellow students; we traveled to Washington D.C. and worked with advocacy organizations and local clinics to learn about the Affordable Care Act, single payer health care, minority health, men’s health initiatives, and homeless population healthcare. However, learning about and advocating for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) taught me first and foremost the power of my own voice over legislation.
NTDs are some of the most debilitating diseases you may have never heard of (and before this trip, neither have I). Treatments cost a remarkable 50 cents per person per year, and for every dollar that the U.S. government invests, drug companies donate 26 times that amount in drugs (when have you ever heard of such impressive returns on investments?). This program so far has improved the lives of 687 million people, more than double the size of the U.S. population. However, the president has proposed a $13.5 million cut in spending on the program for the 2017 federal budget. Factoring in the donations from drug companies, this decrease in funding is much more substantial, preventing millions from accessing these vital drugs.
Together with students from around the country, my ASB group and I worked with END7, an international advocacy organization that campaigns for increased federal funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) NTD Program. Splitting up into small groups headed by an adult team leader, we met with congressmen and their legislative teams in their offices on Capitol Hill to advocate for increased funding for the program to $125 million. This expanded funding would tremendously increase the impact of the treatments on the world population.
Initially, I felt apprehensive and unsure of the outcome that would follow. Would these influential people actually pay attention to college students like me? Would they even take me seriously? After all, asking the legislators to include $125 million in personal appropriations requests and to join the Senate and Congressional Caucuses on Malaria and NTDs was no simple task.
I was completely taken aback by how willing and receptive they were to consider our efforts. Offices and parties which we never expected to listen to our proposals were open to considering them. In addition, I found it particularly powerful that I could have intelligent yet comfortable conversations with these incredibly influential adults. I came to realize that legislators aren’t inaccessible and single-minded: They’re real people, too.
I walked out of the offices feeling confident of my advocacy efforts. Although it will be a while until we discover the results of our advocacy, I know that my part in this fight for increased funding was not in vain.
In addition, before this trip, I never even considered pursuing a career or interest in public policy, let alone finding interest in politics. I had always wanted to have a career in medicine, which to me meant medical school and treating patients — the concrete science. It never occurred to me that public policy also falls under the umbrella of healthcare. But the truth is, politics affects us all.
Whether you are feeling the Bern or you just want to make America great again, be informed. Read the paper and watch the news; take them with a grain of salt; talk with your friends, family, and colleagues; and formulate your own views. Your issues, passions, and opinions are important.
So make your voice heard — it’s more powerful than you think.
