I, along with a multitude of other juniors in college, am finally getting the chance to vote in a presidential election. Most of us turned eighteen in the middle of President Obama's current term, and now we can finally exercise that right to vote our Founding Fathers fought so hard to get in 1776. With everything that is happening this year on the election trail, it seems to be more important than ever that all of us who are old enough to vote dutifully use that right to bring our country to greater prosperity.
For me, voting is an essentially important task that we need to fulfill. In 1920, the 19th amendment was passed, finally granting women the right to vote. After women like Alice Paul spent so long trying to get the same type of equality that men have, why would we want to squander away something so vitally important? Just the number of voters who go out and vote can upset an election. in 1984, the Democratic President Harry Truman was supposed to lose to Republican nominee Thomas Dewey. In a surprising voter turn-out, Truman won the race and became the 33rd President of the United States. This year, there is a very real possibility that another presidential election could end in a surprising victory of someone we were not expecting. But that can only happen if we go out and vote.
As we are all going to be the generation that takes over when our grandparents and parents are gone, it is important for us to get out there and have our voices heard now, rather than when it is possibly too late. Whether you want to vote for Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, or Gary Johnson, your voice needs to be heard. We all learned in history growing up that you have to vote for the person who best represents your wishes and ideals. The President of the United States is elected by us and works together with the Congress we will elect as well. So why not go out and vote to be sure your preferred candidates make it into office? Simply sitting on your couch and complaining when you see the newly elected president get inaugurated into office on January 20, 2017 will not do anything to help. A single voice alone is like a drop in the ocean, but all the voices of voters can turn individual droplets into an ocean of their own.
If you live in Pennsylvania and have not yet registered to vote, you can do so here. If you live outside of Pennsylvania and need to register, head to this link to find out where you can register to vote in your state. The registration deadline is October 11th.
