Why Should I Vote?
Politics affect nearly every facet of our lives, from education reform, healthcare, taxes, climate change, and housing. As our country faces a pandemic with no end date, wildfires raging throughout the state of California, and unemployment rates akin to that of the Great Depression, it became apparent that the quality of our government significantly affects every person in our society.
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Voting is one of the fundamental tools given to citizens as our inalienable rights. From the 19th Amendment to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, our nation has been years fighting for expanded rights to vote and for good reason too. Your vote determines who creates the public policies for all three branches of government, both nationally, statewide, and locally.
the issue?
According to Forbes, the United States has one of the lowest rates of youth voter turnout in the world.
Why is it this the case?
People often accredit this issue towards apathy towards the state of politics and political inefficacy, the belief that one's vote cannot influence politics. Many pundits often lament that young people are cynical due to today's more than ever polarized environment. Forbes again, notes that this might not necessarily be the case as in 2016, three out of four Americans between the ages of 18-29 said they were interested in politics. In addition, young people lack the proper information and resources to make an educated vote that they are confident in.
For Americans under 30, the voter turn out is 38% below the rate for Americans over 60 which is more than double the gap in similar democracies such as Canada and Germany.
How you can use this site to help fill the voter gap
Purpose
With a general U.S. Presidential Election coming up this November, it is more important than ever that young Americans are encouraged to go out and utilize their political voice. According to the Pew Research Center, Millennials make up almost equal parts of the U.S. voting population as Baby Boomers.
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This site aims to provide easily digestible information about the importance of voting to encourage young people to vote in both presidential, congressional, and local elections. This site will also address the gaps in knowledge about the voting process, a major obstacle to voting for young Americans.
Lastly, this site will address solutions that our education and political system should consider in order to increase voter turnout and prevent political apathy, cynicism, or inefficacy
About the Author
As a first-generation Asian American coming from a low-income background, I've seen firsthand how politics can play a direct role in one's livelihood and can have profound effects on the social mobility and opportunities for certain communities.
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For all my life, I've witnessed the influence of some of the most powerful people in the country who don't look like me never mentioning to have the best interests of people like me. I've felt as though my access to certain inalienable rights were being controlled by people I didn't even choose to be in office.
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Advocating for more political transparency and accountability can bring about a sense of hopelessness when one has witnessed and experienced the similar social circumstances as I have. Which is why I firmly believe that we cannot give up our one inalienable right as American citizens to exercise our right to vote and make our voices heard to ensure a better democracy. While I do hope that the inherently flawed system can fix itself to provide complete access to these rights, I am using this site to in the mean time, encourage the current generation to go out and take back our future!