A group of eligible student voters enter the Athens-Clarke County public library during the first-ever Clarke Central High School Voting Initiative Field trip on Nov. 1 where they voted in the 2018 midterm election. This gave students the opportunity to vote for the first time and get registered for coming elections. Voting is an integral part of the United States governmental system as it involves U.S. citizens in the functioning of their country and provides them with the opportunity to make a change in the current office if desired. Photo by Kelly Fulford
Newly eligible voters do not make up enough of the voting population, despite the fact that they are the most affected by future changes in politics.
On Tuesday, Nov. 6, millions of Americans lined up to vote in the 2018 midterm election. This civic opportunity gave them the chance to make a change.
Voting is essential to the democratic nature of the U.S. The country was founded on the idea that its citizens should play a major role in the government in order to fairly represent the population. However, many people decide not to take part in this civic opportunity.
When people decide against voting, they are not only disregarding the long fight for equal and fair voting laws, they are turning down a chance to make their voices heard.
According to CBS News, the 2018 midterm election brought 49 percent of eligible voters to the polling booths, making it the first U.S. midterm election to surpass 100 million votes.
It is vitally important for the U.S. to keep this number high. If this trend continues and more non-voters change their minds, the country could more accurately reflect the needs and desires of more of its population.
While it is important to vote, it is even more important to vote smart. Doing research before casting a ballot is essential, and there are various resources one can use to do so. When citizens base their voting decisions on things such as name recognition and simple facts about the candidates without doing research first, they miss the chance to vote for someone they know they will actually support if elected into office.
Many newly eligible voters decide against voting because they don’t want to get involved in politics and believe the outcome of the election won’t affect them.
In reality, politics affect young people more than anyone else. Newly eligible voters are beginning to participate in their country as adults, and it is becoming their responsibility to make changes in the government they see fit.
Additionally, problems that face the U.S. and the world today will likely fall into the hands of young people to fix in the future. Not participating in their government in this way will send the message that they have no care for their country, or worse, not send a message at all.
According to The New York Times, while it is too early to tell by exactly how much, voter turnout among younger age groups went up in the 2018 midterm elections. While this is a step in the right direction, young people still do not make up enough of the total voting population considering their societal significance.
On Nov. 1, 19 Clarke Central High School students participated in a democratic field trip to the their local polling place to early vote in the 2018 midterm election. Not only did this provide students with the convenient opportunity to vote in this election, it also got them registered to vote for future elections.
It is imperative that voter turnout continues to increase in upcoming elections, especially among young people who are voting for a long future ahead of them.
