By: Orel Rhodes
It is hard to be on social media or to even walk around campus without hearing about what is coming up this November -- the election.
All that many of us know about voting is that we check some boxes and then get a sticker afterwards. It’s something that many of us have seen our parents or friends get every year. Obviously, voting is about so much more than that, but many of us do not realize how important our vote actually can be.
Voting is how you can make your voice heard on who you want to run our nation. Whether you have loved how this nation has been running or you feel like someone else could run it better. Now is your chance to use your opinion and put it into action. It is our civic duty as Americans to go out and vote, allowing our voice to be heard. So why is it that so many Americans miss out on this opportunity?
According to massvote.org, the number one reason that so many people do not vote is due to being uninformed or misinformed about elections. Many of us know that we live in the land of the free and the home of the brave, but do we realize how quickly this could change? Be informed, and learn about what each presidential candidate plans to do with our country -- your country.
Although some voters may be informed, there are still some fears that come along with voting. One of the biggest fears that students face whenever voting is the backlash that they may receive due to others having a different opinion. That is why voting can be completely anonymous to others around you. You do not have to explain your vote to anyone else unless you want to. Do not let this fear override your decision to improve our country in the way that you see fit.
An easy excuse to make about not voting is the mentality that “I can skip this because my vote isn’t going to matter.” There have been multiple times in US history when a single vote has changed an election. In fact, this has been as recently as 2008, when an Alaskan House of Representatives seat was decided by a single vote. There are many other elections that have taken place in which a few votes determined the end factor. So, before you decide to pass on voting this year, remember how important your vote is. If nothing else, at least you’ll get a free sticker out of it.