Why young people ought to vote
Grace Tobin ’18 writes about the problems of the apathy young people have towards voting.
The right to vote is the right choice for youth.
During his 36 year reign, King Henry XIII beheaded between 57,000 and 72,000 people. His people were not put into that situation by choice. Henry just happened to be born the son of a king. In the U.S., the people are given the extraordinary privilege of choosing who leads them and making certain that they do not get stuck with a ruthless maniac like Henry. It would be madness if people did not use this privilege in every election.
Yet, surprisingly, according to Civicyouth.org, only 45 percent of people from ages 18-29 voted in the 2012 presidential election. But, because most young people don’t vote, our concerns are not accurately represented when the government makes decisions that ultimately impact our lives.
This is the United States of America. One concept the citizens, justifiably, boast about is the fact that we have freedom. While images of bald eagles and American flags may come into mind while thinking of a seemingly overstated concept, it is the foundation of this country. The fact is that America is established on its citizens who can choose who is elected into office. When we shirk the opportunity to choose, we probably don’t take into account the generations before us who did not have a choice in the matter of their leaders.
Young people’s apathy needs to first rectified with the realization that there are so many who have died and would still die to protect our individualism and choice. Americans owe the rights they possess to the soldiers in the military that died for them and the civil rights activists and the suffragists who fought for them. Voting is a way of honoring those people.
Furthermore, one of America’s leaders, Abraham Lincoln, said that this government was a government “of the people, by the people, for the people.” This statement cannot hold true if the people do not vote.
“I think it’s important for young people to vote; that way the nation is represented as a whole,” said Harry Kramer, junior at Brophy. Kramer knows that voting is key for his accurate representation.
Also, young people should vote because their vote matters. Study.com states that recent history shows that elections can be decided by a handful of votes.
“It’s our future, not theirs,” said Savannah Talbo, junior at Xavier. This next president will decide much about young people’s future as they reach adulthood. Whoever they may be will make changes in health insurance, college tuition, the economy, drug regulations, the rights of the citizens and much else. They will also make decisions about social security which, according to Study.com, will be gone or greatly diminished by the time college-aged students reach retirement. That is, unless, a president can be elected that will bring about some positive change in the matter.
The president will tasked with dealing with America’s oversea problems. If the next president decides war, it is the young people of this country that will be drafted.
Consequently, it is the young people of this country that should vote to begin that decision making. Who among the young people of this country can say they are content with taking a backseat and not having their voice heard? Bertolt Brecht once wrote a song called “Change the World: It Needs It.” Participating in elections can help change the world, one vote at a time.
Why young people ought to vote
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