As we all know, a very important presidential election is coming up this November. This election will decide whether America will continue down the path of liberalism or take a step in the opposite direction toward a more conservative philosophy.
With that being said, it is of the utmost importance that people, especially young people of college age, should go out and vote. It is a constitutional right that we are all given and it is the responsibility of the people to voice their opinions and vote for the leaders of our great nation.
Given that we have the ability to choose our leaders, it is also our responsibility to be informed voters. Too many people go to the polls and don’t know what they’re voting for, or are single-issue voters, meaning they choose a candidate based on one common belief or value.
This is not the way to go about voting. Voting is something that every American, especially young people, should take seriously. Young voters who are in college or who are recent graduates are the future of our country. We are the ones who will be joining the work force and paying bills and taxes. Therefore, it is our job to know who and what we’re voting for.
I know too many people my age who know almost nothing about our political system or who know very little about any of the candidates running for president. People my age are also uninformed about what the candidates’ plans are for running our country, so I’ve had many of them tell me that they just aren’t going to vote. It is unacceptable to not be informed about elections.
Many other young people simply say they don’t care about politics or who wins an election. This is also unacceptable. How can you not care about who is running our country? When you leave high school or college and are living in the real world with real responsibilities, don’t you care about where your tax money is going or how your healthcare is being affected?
With such an important election coming up, I encourage everyone learn about the candidates who are running and see what they stand for. Don’t simply find one issue that you agree with and vote for them because of that, but take your time and do your research. Find a candidate who best aligns with your personal beliefs and values and who you believe has an effective plan for running our country come next January. I would hate for you to end up on Jesse Watters’ segment “Watters’ World” on Fox News where they make fun of people who are uninformed about American politics.
Heather Trotter is a junior journalism major from Franklin, Tenn. She is a reporter for the Lariat.
