By Tessa Cheshire
At this point in the year, everybody is aware of the impending presidential election. While we may be at differing levels of awareness, being a high school student, teacher, or employee means that you’re at least acutely aware of the election. To a lot of high school students, this may not matter. But it should. Especially the select group that will be of voting age by the time the election rolls along. I’ll be part of this group, and I’ll be spending my election day fulfilling my civic duty and voting.
But why should we care? If somebody isn’t going to be old enough to vote in the election, it definitely could be argued that they shouldn’t care about any election happening around us. But the fact of the matter is that we are going to be inheriting the country, and the political actions that are taken when we’re in high school can affect us deeply. Local elections have a higher chance of affecting us directly while we’re still in school. And if we’re vocal about our opinions and our wants for the country, we will be listened to by adults. Not all adults will listen, and not right away, but our persistence will allow us to be heard. I’ve been relatively politically active for all of high school, and it has allowed me to stay up-to-date on issues that might impact me. I truly feel like living my high school life with a political awareness has enriched my experience, and I would fully recommend it to other high schoolers.
Then, it comes to the group of voters next year. A selection of Eldorado seniors will be 18 by the time the election of 2020 happens, and my hope is that every one of them will be lining up on election day to log their votes for our next president. There’s no doubt in my mind that there are going to be students who don’t think registering to vote or voting are worth their time. That’s why I believe it would be a good idea for schools to automatically register all eligible students to vote. If the registration part is already done, chances are higher that students will go in and vote come election day. Voter turnout was at a massive low in the 2016 election despite the country having been swept by political fervor. Let’s not let that happen again. The selection of us that will be of voting age by the next election have been entrusted with the civic duty of voting, and we hold a responsibility to fulfill it.
There are more excuses to not vote than I can think of. “It’s too much work.” “My vote won’t even make a difference.” “I don’t like any of the candidates.” The list goes on, and the argument against them is simple. Registering to vote isn’t too difficult of a process, and every vote counts because they add up. And if there’s not a candidate whose platform you agree with fully, that’s not a surprise. It’s almost impossible to find a candidate that has your exact ideals. It isn’t a valid excuse for not voting. Choose the candidate from the group who you think will benefit the country most. Your vote still counts.
It boils down to this: if you’re a high school student of legal voting age, vote. We, as teenagers, were trusted with the right to make political decisions that can impact our country and our history, and we should exercise that right. If you’re anybody over the voting age, vote. Our country’s future is in our hands. History has its eyes on you.
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