Select an issue concerning voting rights or practices and briefly tell us your thoughts about it.
Senan Pol, Rutland High School
We exist in a hyper-political landscape. From every news channel you flip through to every newspaper you purchase, there will always be a section dedicated to the status of the political sphere. Now more than ever people are paying attention to the politics of the upcoming presidential election as numerous people wish to see our current president out of office. For those that wish to see the president lose the upcoming election, they are emphasizing the importance of youth turnout as it could turn the tide of the election. However, many youths are unsure of their place in the election process.
As a young individual, I see, front and center, the qualms my generation has over voting, and it all begins with accessibility — from knowledge about candidates to even where people go to vote in their area. For many of my friends, they reason their inability to vote on the base that their vote will “mess up” the results or that they won’t choose the “correct” candidate. This ties into the issue that many young voters lack the time to watch CNN or other large news outlets, causing them to miss those debates that are fundamental to the development of Americans’ opinions on a candidates’ policies. However, televised debates are not the only way to learn about candidates. This, unfortunately, runs into another issue the youth of today face.
Young voters are simply overwhelmed by a complex gamut of information leaving them lost and confused as to where to start. Many publications, like the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, make easy and accessible articles that clearly outline the policies of each candidate as well as other useful information about the election process. By having these concise abbreviations of longer, drawn-out debates and broadcasts make this information straightforward and accessible to even the busiest of youth voters.
Voter turnout, especially youth voter turnout, is one of the most pressing issues we are seeing in relation to voting practices today. This issue appears to originate in the mentality that by not reading every article or by not attending every televised debate determines whether a voter has a true right to vote. By offering our new voters the information they need to select a candidate they feel confident in as well as offering guidance so that younger voters feel confident in their role as a fully realized American citizen will hopefully invigorate future generations with that fire of civic engagement, as it is the fire that keeps our nation alive.