The power of youth

Why it’s important to start voting now

With the Midterm elections rapidly approaching, many people have been discussing the importance of voting- particularly youth voting. With this however comes the question: why would we, the youth, want to be involved?
Today, politics are nasty and toxic. All we see are childish adults who have no respect for one another and attempt to use their power to benefit themselves. Politics are no longer Democratic or Republican.
Today, the political world isn’t about blue or red, the opposing candidates do not have respect for each other. People want to do whatever they can to make the other side “look bad”, rather than focusing on making themselves look good. This noise takes away the focus of the people from important things happening, such as hurricane damage and relief acts, and centers it on trivial arguments between people in power.
Politicians are extremely impressionable to the majority voters, as that’s all they want- their vote.
So, that brings me back to my question, why would we want to be involved or informed on something that is so constantly negative?
My answer is this: you don’t. No one wants to watch the news or read articles on the horrible things people in power are saying or doing. No one wants to research the latest candidates for election, knowing the only things that pop up are the cynical opinions of the opposite party, trying to convince you of how horrible their rival candidate is.
However, as much as we can agree that this is not a fun or enjoyable subject, it is an extremely important one.
Politics were not always like this. They were never peaceful and harmonious, but people were human, not animals. They were civil and kind, sometimes even stuck up for one another.
At a rally for John McCain in 2008 for his election against Obama, McCain gave the microphone to a woman in the audience who proceeded to speak about how she couldn’t trust Obama, and how, “he’s an Arab.” Quickly, McCain took the microphone away and responded by telling the woman that her statement was untrue, and that Obama was an honest, good man.
Even though that moment could have cost him the election, McCain did the honorable thing and told the truth, rather than feeding off the inaccurate support of the audience.
Since that moment in an election, we haven’t seen such consideration between two opposing parties.
Now, what does all of this mean?
Politics haven’t always been like this, so it doesn’t have to stay like this.
With the large amount of elections impending, people need to start realizing that as much as they may not want to be involved, they need to be.
Change does not happen unless you do something about it; and this is where the youth come in.
The youth are a powerful political force. They account for half of the voting population, meaning that they could easily sway the election. However, as we all know, this can only happen if people go to the polls.
None of us want the political world to remain as it is. Politics have gradually become the most sore subject one can talk about today, but we want that to change.
I know many people may not care or think it is important, however, soon our lives will change, and the decisions we make today will directly affect our lives in the future.
With that being said, I urge you to become informed, whatever that means to you, and register to vote in the upcoming elections if you meet the age requirement.
Becoming an educated voter is easier and more crucial than ever. Start now, and you won’t regret it.