Knowing how, when, and when to vote can be hard, but sometimes the most difficult thing to understand is why it’s so important to vote. Sometimes we feel like our voices are lost, especially as young people. So, today we thought we would talk a little bit about why WE think it’s important to vote, as a way to hopefully provide some food for thought, so you can begin to think about why YOU think it’s important to vote.
We are all young college students and obviously all very passionate about voting and exercising our rights to vote in order to enact the changes we wish to see in the world. If you don’t agree with our reasons, that’s okay! It’s important to have your own reasons to vote, and know why you’re voting.
While we all have our own reasons on why we vote, we all have something in common. We all vote because we want our voices to be heard!
Voting to us is one of the best ways to enact change in the world, no matter what your political affiliation is. Using your right to vote is a great way to start creating the world you want to see.
We asked some of our friends why they vote, and they had some pretty cool things to say about it:
Ben Griffin, said “Voting is important to me as it is an experience that allows us to proactively advocate for change in our local, state, and the national community. Being civically engaged, in this day and age with social media playing a huge role in how information (real or fake) is being decimated is absolutely crucial. Voting is a necessary part of civic engagement, and without it, advocacy for change cannot happen.”
Isabella Zoizack, said, “We live in a democracy and democracy only works and functions properly if we participate in it.”
Ana Torres believes voting, “enables people to choose their representatives and allow their voices to be heard.”
Tim Sheik, said “I vote because I understand the consequences of not voting – when one person chooses not to vote because their voteĀ “won’t make a difference”, they fail to acknowledge how many others there are just like them that are failing to vote because they are convinced their vote is insignificant. It is these votes that are usually what tip the scale in one direction or another without us realizing it. So, essentially I vote because it is my right and I’m doing myself and the people around me an injustice if I choose not to.”
So, whether you relate to us or one of the people listed above, or not, we hope you find your own reason to vote and become an active participant in our countries democratic system. Vote for what you think is right, vote for who you think will be the best job representing you, but most important, VOTE. That is the first step.
-R.W.
-Edited by C.A.