The first election in which I was legally able to vote was the 2012 general election, and I couldn’t have been more excited.
At the time, President Obama was running for re-election, and though I did my research into all the down-ticket races, I was really there for the presidential election.
Even as someone constantly engaged in politics — both national and local — I must admit it is easier to get enthusiastic about voting when your voice is heard in is a ?competitive, sexy national election.
Sure, I know the other years are important too, but often the races are boring, I don’t know who is running and pressing buttons in a ?voting booth can be hard. In my time talking about and working around politics, I have found a growing consensus among young voters that participation in elections is overrated.
Our voices don’t get heard, we can’t bring real change and the politicians will be corrupt whether we vote or not. So what’s the point?
And those are the people who care about politics. Most students either don’t care, think they are above politics or are hipsters who think participating in our democracy is just “too mainstream.”
Lately our elections haven’t brought us anything except extreme polarization, gridlock and wasted money, and despite Congress’ approval ratings hovering around single-digits, they still get re-elected about 90 ?percent of the time.
So why take time out of my day to vote, let alone learn about the candidates, if ?nothing will come of it?
It’s a cynical approach to a cynical time, and I have a ?cynical response: The reason you should all vote is because no one is going to care about you if you don’t.
Campaigns have limited money and limited time to use it, so politicians need to invest their time in voters they know will turn out on Election Day.
And considering an abysmal 13 percent of young voters actually participated in the midterms last fall, our representatives no longer see us as a worthy investment.
Why would they care what a group of people think about education reform if the group can’t take the time to raise their hand?
Voting may not dictate the quality of candidates we receive, but voter trends do dictate the issues voted on in Congress. The reason Social Security can’t be reformed? Older Americans always vote.
The reason it is taking so long to legalize marriage equality? Religious conservatives always vote. The reason college costs so much? College students never vote. For the often complex political world we live in, it’s a pretty simple concept.
Our votes may not sway a particular election, inspire a better government or give us better candidates to choose from. But it will get us heard. So, let’s give those hipsters something to really complain about and have our voices mean something.
Get registered, and go vote.
thompjak@indiana.edu
