It really bothers me when people say they're not going to vote. No one in the world is neutral about anything. We all have opinions and we all have a favorite side. Even if you consider yourself an independent, you still lean to one side. Maybe you do not like to voice your opinions, but by not voting, you are silencing yourself.
If you are of legal age and do not vote, then you have no right to complain about anything. Yeah, maybe all the candidates are a little screwy, but only crazy people run for president. You made the poor decision to not participate in a democracy by not casting a vote, so do not let me catch you complaining on Twitter about how dumb a candidate is. If you want to make a change, then you have to be a part of the change.
When you turn 18, there is really not much else you can do with that "legal adult status" so you might as well practice your new right to vote! As college students, we love to talk about ourselves and our #lifegoals, and I guarantee there is a candidate who shares similar dreams. You can take your #lifegoals and transform them into #relationshipgoals with your candidate.
You also seem extremely ignorant when you say, "I just don't like/follow/care about politics." Unless you're a piece of toast, you have a passion, and I guarantee that politics effects some aspect of your passion. As college students, there is no excuse not to vote because this world will soon be ours. There are 20.2 million of us out there, and by choosing a prepared and reliable president, we can help guarantee a better future for ourselves. That means less work for us (every millennial loves that), and more clean up from our new president!
You don't have to care about everything either. For example, I really don't care about the environment, but I do care about gun control. Therefore, I am voting for a candidate who I believe will fix this issue. It can really be as simple as that.
Don't waste your vote because "everyone else is voting for him/her." If you feel like you want Joe Blow from North Dakota to run this country, then let your voice be free. It takes 10 whole minutes from your life to educate yourself on candidates. There is even a government sponsored quiz you can take that tells you the percentage of your opinions and which candidate they best line up with (and I know you love quizzes because I saw you share one about what pizza flavor you are).
To all my ladies: Brave women from our past were beaten and jailed fighting for our right to vote. Why dishonor them by throwing away the freedom that has been passed on to us since 1919? The suffragettes did not go through that pain because they wanted to, but because they knew they needed to.
So take the 10 minutes you usually spend on Buzzfeed, and go take the quiz. Find out who you match up with, and then spend five extra minutes on Wikipedia to get some background. You'll be an educated voter in no time.
Democracy is a beautiful thing. Please don't waste it.
