Living in the controversial political climate in America, people are often faced with the mentality that they don’t want to be involved in political drama. With the fear of being criticized due to their certain political beliefs, potential voters would rather stay quiet than voice an opinion on controversial issues.
Robert F. Kennedy once said, “The purpose of life is to contribute in some way to making things better.” When students stand up for something they believe in, for example taking the time to vote for people in power, it’s a great start to making change for the better.
However, in a country filled with loud voices shouting “VOTING MATTERS” there are some that remember what it was like after the 2016 presidential elections.
Most people agree voting is a person’s civic duty. However, when it comes down to it, others will say they don’t want to be forced to vote between two evils. It is a moral obligation in people’s lives to do the right thing. In a perfect world one goes into the booth, checks the box, the official elect will follow through with what they promised, and everybody is happy. This is rarely the case in a political system that has time-and-again proven itself untrustworthy. In addition, the people who voted for Trump were bullied and labeled as racists, misogynistic and bigoted. So why bother voting?
Many students believe their vote doesn’t matter. They believe that no matter what the candidates promise the turn out will always be different. They think that both sides are no good. They have good reasons to believe this; while electoral votes don’t add up, candidates lie about what they will be able to accomplish, and New Hampshire legislators and governor are making it more difficult to vote while going to college in another state. Today the governmental system makes it reasonable to feel like individual votes do not matter. But when thousands of college students feel this way and do not vote that’s thousands of votes that could change the entire outcome.
As election day came, students were bombarded and harassed by other representatives of both parties. They were told they had to vote, “It was their civic duty.” Some people do not have the right to vote, so if students chose not to, whether it is because they didn’t care or because they felt like neither of the candidates represented them, they are wasting their vote. Guessing on the ballot is a result of students being pressured to vote. Students need to do research and understand why they are filling in those circles.
In the end, if a student chooses not to vote, the election is still going to happen. It will affect their friends, their family, and themselves in every way. Voting, keeping up with the candidates progress, and putting your foot down for something that you feel strongly about will make serious changes for the better.
