Seniors: To vote or not to vote?
May 18, 2016
ith the upcoming primary election, young voters are faced with the hardest of choices: should they vote for a complete outsider who’s obsessed with creating walls, a “radical” democratic socialist, or someone known for her infamous emails.
Unfortunately, even when there seems to be no benefit, the youth think that their votes aren’t going to make a difference, but it does.
Teen voices matter and they should vote, but they should choose their desired candidate based on what they’ve researched and analyzed on each candidate’s policies.
In a random campus survey, the majority of seniors said they plan to restrain from voting, stating that the election is a “joke” and that it’s simply a game choosing the “most sane out of all candidates.” What seniors don’t realize is the importance of their vote.
There are currently 49 million eligible voters from ages 18-29 according to the Center for Information and Research.
It’s the youth who will pay college tuition and debt, need jobs, and fight wars. For such a large demographic, it’s absolutely important that they vote.
One of these candidates will become the president of the United States, and their policies will affect us– especially the seniors who plan to attend college.
Furthermore, unlike underclassmen, seniors are directly granted a platform that allows them to stand up for issues that they are passionate about.
However, the majority of seniors on campus, even if they plan to vote, don’t know much about the candidate or their policies.
For example, some seniors voting for Donald Trump believe that he would be the best candidate to improve the economy. However, the supporters on campus failed to mention what they know of Trump’s economic plan.
Moreover, many seniors mentioned that they would be voting for Bernie Sanders because he’ll provide “financial opportunities for lower-class citizens” and “make college free.”
However, the same supporters judged the candidate’s policies in terms of college or taxes and aren’t aware of his stances on other important issues such as abortion or immigration.
The election process might seem like choosing between the lesser of two evils, but you are choosing the “lesser” evil by voting.
Seniors should educate themselves on each candidate, research about their policies and stances on significant issues, and vote for the one that they agree with most.
Seniors aren’t kids anymore. As they exit high school and enter the “real world,” they should have opinions on controversial issues along with being politically aware. It’s about time seniors stop complaining about the country’s problems, and become part of the solution.
