Young People Encouraged to Do Their Part in Elections

The United States midterm elections are set to take place on Nov. 6, this coming Tuesday. Across the country, ad campaigns for federal, local, and state offices are being shown in all types of media, encouraging eligible voters to attend voting stations in their area and exercise their democratic right as U.S. citizens.

Perhaps more than ever, the pressure is falling onto young people to fulfill their roles in our society. Millenial and Gen Z social media has erupted over the last few months, hyping each other up about registering to vote and finding local voting locations.

Despite making up a good part of eligible voters, historically, millenials have had some of the worst turnouts during elections. In midst of the current political climate, though, many have been hopeful for this trend to change. In a single scroll through Twitter, for instance, anyone would probably stumble upon a dozen Tweets sending the message to young adults to go and vote. It’s considered to be, more than ever, crucial for young people to use their voices.

“It’s absolutely important, because we’re creating our own future,” said Talawanda senior and new voter Hannah West. “We finally are given the ability to say ‘this is how I’d like to see the world’ and we shouldn’t take that for granted. Especially during elections other than the presidential – because they’re really the only ones that are a direct vote, anyway.”

Our world is also so much more connected now than it was fifty years ago. In technology and communication, our abilities for expression go further than those of our grandparents, allowing us to both understand the issues in our country and spread the word on how to fix them. Realistically, voting is one of the most effective ways to make any of those changes.

Of course, the majority of high schoolers are under 18, but if you’re registered to vote, you can go to vote.org to find your polling location.