Imagine for a second you’re back in November 2016, going back to school finally feels normal again, we’ve figured out our routines, and we’re beginning to plan for the rest of the school year; but, for many, nothing compares to the presidential election that’s about to occur. For high schoolers, this was the first election that we were able to follow and discuss with parents, teachers, and peers, and as most of us are aware, the election was a tough one to follow. Through email scandals, Access Hollywood Tapes, and incivility between candidates, we were there for all of it, and, yet for teenagers, we were unable to voice our opinions through the voting process. Whether you were ecstatic about the election of Donald Trump or wished that Hillary Clinton got the presidential seat, the result of that election acted as a wakeup call to the fact that elections have consequences. This time, however, the majority of teens will be able to vote in 2020, but sadly those who can vote… won’t.
In the 2016 election, only about 55% of eligible voters participated in the election according to Pew Research Center. Considering that America’s founding fathers risked their freedoms and lives to establish an American democracy where every voice matters, it’s astonishing that 45% of eligible voters made the conscientious decision to stay home on November 8, 2016, the day of the election.
Living in the twenty-first century it is understandable to forget that, for the majority of our nation’s history, the only group that was able to participate in our democracy were white wealthy men. It took nearly 200 years of fighting for women and people of color to achieve equal rights in this country, and yet still, people of all backgrounds do not vote. Through years of fighting for equality, hundreds of people lost their jobs, families, and freedom’s so that their children and their children’s children could vote. Now that they have won their fight, and it sounds cliché, but we are those children, so why wouldn’t we honor their fight and take a little time out of our day to participate in our democracy?
The majority of Mills students that can vote in 2020 will be in attendance to whatever college, university, or town that they’ve decided to settle down in, and registering to vote might seem like the final thought on their minds; however, you can pre-register to vote at the age of 16. Once you’ve turned 16, go to www.sos.ca.gov/elections/pre-register-16-vote-18, or, merely look up “pre-register to vote.” Registration is extremely easy and takes less time to register for than the SAT/ACT. The only important information that you may not know off the top of your head is the last four digits to your Social Security Number, but other than that, registration is relatively straightforward and easy. By the time that 2020 rolls around, the only thing left for you to do is to go to the polling station (if you’re still in San Mateo County), or if you’re out of state, request an “absentee ballot” and mail your form in.
Though the majority of us cannot vote in the upcoming election in November’s on the House of Representatives and a portion of the Senate, still pay attention to those who are running. Even though we can’t vote, still, nothing says we can’t make a difference in our democracy. We can still call ourselves representatives, we can still march, and we can campaign. However, nothing in this country is more powerful than the power of a vote, so when the time comes, take a little time out of you November day to head to the polling station and make your voice heard. Our founding mothers and fathers will thank you for it.
