What frustrates me most about the 2018 midterm elections is that I’m too young to vote. Though the possibility of a continued red wave undeniably concerns me, it’s not quite as frustrating as knowing that I ultimately can’t contribute my voice and vision to this year’s election — one that will come to define not only the rest of President Donald Trump P’00’s time in office, but perhaps even the next presidential election. Despite my anger at my inability to vote, there are many people in our community and our country that can vote but choose not to. That is a mistake. By abstaining from the election, you are relinquishing your right to play a role in our democracy.
Not only do many Americans abstain from voting, but many eligible people choose not to register to vote altogether. While the reasons behind not voting boggle me, the reasons why you would not even register to vote in the first place confuse me even more. Today, registering takes approximately five to ten minutes. In most states, the process can be completed entirely online. For the few other states that mandate paper registration, the form is very simple and takes very little time to mail in. All you need is some basic government-issued information. In fact, you can register before you turn eighteen, as long as you will be of age by November 6, the date of the elections.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in the 2016 presidential election, only 61.4% of registered voters cast their ballots. That is utterly embarrassing. Some voters simply can’t make it to the polls because of conflicting schedules at work or school, but that reason only accounted for approximately 14% of those who didn’t vote, according to the Pew Research Center. The same survey found that the most common reason cited by 25% of non-voters was a “dislike of the candidates or campaign issues.” However, difficulty choosing between candidates is not a valid excuse to abstain from voting. By doing so, you’re saying that not preferring one candidate over the other means that you shouldn’t contribute your voice to the American people. After all, presidential elections are supposed to assess what Americans as a whole want for their country. When only 61.4% of registered voters participate, the final tally can’t properly represent the people.
The Pew Research Center also found that 15% of non-voters in 2016 abstained because they felt “their vote wouldn’t make a difference.” This sentiment isn’t true. Especially in particularly close elections like many in this year’s midterms, every vote matters because even the smallest margin can decide who wins. In states where polls predict the winner by a large margin, your vote still counts because there will undoubtedly be other voters who believe their vote doesn’t count, thereby decreasing the size of that margin. Moreover, as expressed earlier, government elections are supposed to account for all of the people. Your vote definitely won’t count, however, if you don’t cast it.
Although voters who abstain from midterm elections do so with similar reasoning as those who abstain from presidential elections, midterms have much lower voter turnout. In the 2014 midterms, only 36.7% of registered voters participated, according to the United States Election Project. This extremely low turnout — which only diminishes for local and state legislature elections — is partially due to the misconception that the presidential election is the only one that matters. However, your senators and representatives are the people that actually bring your states’ desires into the federal government to make change on your behalf. They draft the laws you want enacted, push them to the floor, and convince other politicians to vote for them. Your senators vote on Supreme Court confirmations — they chose to appoint Brett Kavanaugh to the highest court in the nation even after accusations of sexual assault. The president of the U.S. wields a vast amount of power, but so do your congressmen. They determine our health care laws, policies on reproductive rights such as access to birth control, immigration regulations, and much more. Congress collectively makes some of the most influential and momentous decisions in government — the kind of decisions that end up affecting American lives.
Even though voting is an essential American right, it comes with responsibility. Voters must educate themselves on their candidates and the issues at stake. While simply voting according to a political party is better than abstaining, you should be voting for a candidate, not a party. In every political party, there are candidates who diverge from their party’s historical alignments. For example, there are pro-life Democrats and pro-choice Republicans. Voters who don’t educate themselves about the respective candidates might not know this information, leading them to vote for someone who supports legislation that may hurt the voter. Before voting, you must take the time to learn about each candidate. This isn’t a sacrifice; it’s a right — the right to know who you’re voting for and why.
Throughout history, suffrage has been a never-ending fight for many Americans. Particularly for women and black Americans, the journey towards acquiring the right to vote was dangerous and long-lasting. Women weren’t granted suffrage until 1920, and African American right to vote wasn’t fully secured until 1965. Given the hundreds of millions of people who struggled to obtain the right to vote, how can we voluntarily relinquish that right today? Voting is the foundation of our democracy, and it determines the future of our government. We have the ability to change the political environment of this country, simply by registering and casting a ballot for the candidate who most closely aligns with our views. It is our responsibility to take action — not just Generation Z, but every generation. Young people aren’t the only demographic with low voter turnout. 2018 must mark the beginning of a new era in American democracy — one in which voters consistently vote in elections so that our government properly represents the people.
On November 6, Americans across the country will vote in the 2018 midterms — a race that will determine which party will control Congress. Be one of them!
