Why You Should Vote

by Sanjna Mootakoduru

Edited by Shivanshi Sharma, Harvi Karatha, & Arushi Patil, Layout by Alison Ye

If you’re reading this magazine right now, chances are you’re a student, and chances are, you’ve asked yourself, “why should I vote?” at least once as the upcoming election nears. That’s a good question. Living in a democratic nation has it’s obvious perks: we get to vote for who we want as a leader and consequently, how we want to see the government run.

Yet, there are millions of people who don’t vote.

During the 2016 Presidential election, the United States had an incredibly low voter turnout compared to other countries.

According to a Pew Research Center study, U.S. voter turnout ranks 31 out of 35 developed countries. This low turnout produces a chain effect - people adopt the mentality that since so many people don’t vote, they don’t need to either.

Young Americans are infamous for taking their ability to vote for granted, which is surprising since they compose half of the eligible voting population. During the 2016 Presidential election, USA Today observed that only 19% of people aged 18-29 voted. Looking at data like those, it’s funny to think that younger Americans have a political advantage in a potential strength in numbers.

America is for the people, and you are among those people. s long as you are older than 18, you get a say in how you want this country to look, feel, and function. When you don’t vote, you allow other people to decide who your president will be.If your preferred candidate doesn’t win and you didn’t vote, there is no one to blame but yourself.

Maybe “the difference” your vote makes doesn’t seem very clear, or even very large, to you right now;but it will in the future. Things like paying off college debt, getting a job, and paying for healthcare will start to matter as you get older, and these are all things that the President of the United States can handle. In the future, you are going to want a president who will make political decisions that cater to your needs. Older voters will vote in their best interests.

No one will vote in the best interest of the young people of our generation, except the young people of our generation.

The new age of technology has put the entire world at your fingertips. It’s easier now than ever to educate yourself about relevant issues, the goals of the candidates, and their ideas for solving these problems. The candidate themself almost always has multiple social media platforms to give you information directly. Reputable news sites give you reliable news easily. Being an educated voter in our generation will take effort, but for our country, it is worth it.

Maybe you are still asking yourself, “What difference does my single vote make?” Every vote counts. here have been people who have become presidents by winning the popular vote by just a few thousand votes. There have also been people who lost their opportunity to make a dent in history by just a few thousand votes.

T A few thousand might seem like a lot, but compared to the millions of votes in the ballot, a couple thousand is a very very small percentage. Just imagine your vote being one of those couple thousand that helps your preferred candidate win and shape our history. It’s pretty sobering.

If you were thinking of sitting this presidential election out because registering to vote is long and hard, you may wanna rethink. Yes, it is pretty long, but thankfully, you can do it online at usa.gov, which is linked below. Registering to vote online is available for 39 states and the District of Columbia. We suggest checking the website to see if your state is eligible. All you have to do is fill out an online form, print it out, sign it, and mail it to the location specified for your state. Make sure to adhere to your state’s voter registration deadlines, which may be as soon as a month before the election.

Your vote is your voice. With a vote, you speak up for what you believe in. Keep in mind that by not voting, someone else’s vision of America counts more than yours. Use your voice! Go vote!

Brookshire, B. (2016). 4 reasons why many people don’t vote. https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/4- reasons-why-many-people-dont-vote. The Best Colleges (2020). 9 Reasons We Need Young Voters More Than Ever https://www.thebestcolleges.org/9-reasons-weneed-young-voters-more-than-ever/. Desilver, D. (2018). U.S. trails most developed countries in voter turnout. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/05/21/u-svoter-turnout-trails-most-developed-countries/. Castillo, W. (2016). How we voted — by age, education, race and sexual orientation. https://www.usatoday.com/story/college/2016/11/09/ how-we-voted-by-age-education-race-and-sexualorientation/37424551/.