OpinionsEditorials

You matter, and so does your vote

Millennials tend to be the ones who say want to change the world the most, yet they are the least likely to be proactive about it and vote.

election2016According to a 2016 poll by ABC and The Washington Post, only 41 percent of people aged 18 to 29 were absolutely certain they will vote in November, in contrast with roughly 70 percent of adults over 30 years old. For people aged 65 and over, this number is even higher, with certainty at roughly 85 percent and high probability putting them at almost 100 percent.

While the older citizens represent the higher voting certainty, the younger generation stands to be more impacted by the outcome of this year’s election, and the next president. Issues at stake include national security, the economy, choice, and much more.

Criticism of the two-party system, dissatisfaction with candidates, fear that your vote will not matter or the belief that a single vote cannot make a difference are all fair concerns.
But they are not an excuse not to vote. The responsibility to take part in the country’s most important decision should not be underestimated. Our predecessors have fought and given their lives for our right to vote.

The simple act of being able to choose is a freedom and privilege taken for granted. Not participating in the election is allowing others to choose for you, to make a decision that is only your own. It is unlikely that you would let someone order your lunch at a restaurant or pick the clothes you wear, so why choose to be passive when much more serious choices are at stake?

Being indifferent toward decisions of yours and the country’s health, education, security and other topics is willingly giving up a power that you, as an American citizen are lucky to have.

Meanwhile, complaining on Facebook about issues of your concern is meaningless if the opinion is not voiced when it truly matters and can make a difference.

It will change nothing and your silence will be complicit in the problems – not the solutions.

You have a chance to make a choice.

Register now at registertovote.ca.gov, or simply send a text to 384387 and wait for the HelloVote messenger software to guide you through the registration process.

And do it before the California deadline, which is Oct. 24. In fact, do it right now. The phone is probably already in your hand.

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Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the Campus Times Editorial Board.

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