About Me:
Hey, I'm Anali. I am a member of the Illinois Youth Policy Council. & I voted in the February 2nd Primaries, which I am REALLY happy about because I'm a new voter. :D
Hey, I'm Anali. I am a member of the Illinois Youth Policy Council. & I voted in the February 2nd Primaries, which I am REALLY happy about because I'm a new voter. :D
Facebook
Hello Amplify Bloggers and Blog Readers!
Just some background info on what I am about to post:
I am a senior at Jones College Prep high school in downtown Chicago! I am one of the journalists for my school's newspaper, which is called the Eagle's Eye. This piece is an editorial I wrote about young people exercising their right to vote. I am a new & enthusiastic voter, and I wanted to influence my peers' decisions on whether or not they will vote once they have the right to. While this is directed toward my peers at Jones, the message can apply to young people across the country.
This year’s February 2 primaries were my first time at the polls. My recent entrance into this new world of punching numbers has led me to wonder how many of my peers will one day vote. I have taken to reminding people that they should register to vote once they turn eighteen, but I know that not all of them will. And, even for those who do, not all of them will exercise their right to vote every time there is an election.
The government exists to serve the people, but how will it know what we want if we do not vote for candidates who want the same things?One thing I know for sure: if we want neighborhoods to improve and policies to change we need to vote for candidates who we believe will be able to make those changes. And for people who feel like their votes don’t matter because they are just one person, they are wrong. Every vote matters because, with the hundreds of thousands of voters in this city, they add up. You’re not looking at just your one vote anymore; instead, many votes are counted and together show what is important to the people as a whole.
According to the Chicago Tribune, city officials estimated that Chicago voter turnout was 26 percent last Tuesday, making each vote even more important this time around. Many feel that primary elections are not important, so they would rather wait to vote until the general elections come around. What most people do not realize though is that if they do not vote for their candidates in the primaries, then they may not make it to the general election ballot.
The population of young people age fifteen to nineteen is 200,962 in the city of Chicago alone. Some of these young people already have the right to vote and should exercise it; the rest will become voting age in the near future. On Election Day I served as an election judge; sadly, I saw only about 5 young people that day. Once I got past my initial disappointment, I began to wonder if young people in Chicago realize the important roles they can play in affecting politics in government. Registering to vote is hardly difficult: you simply fill out a form with some basic information and your Social Security number. And going out to your polling place on Election Day and selecting the candidates you think are best is hardly rocket science.
It all comes down to this: when we do not voice what issues are important to us by contributing to the election of candidates who support the same issues, other candidates are elected. Legislators whose views we do not agree with get voted into office, and they have the power to create change as they see fit.
One day Jones students will become members of the age group with the highest percentage of voters. We need to start carrying out our voting duty as soon as possible and get in the habit of it. If we learn from an early age that voting is important and has the potential to affect government in beneficial ways, then we will be more likely to vote every time there is an election. Then we will have legislators who we know have the majority’s best interest in mind. And there will truly be a democracy in the United States.
Thanks for reading!
Please feel free to share your comments and/or questions.
Comments
[Add New Comment]
I definitely agree! I've always enjoyed voting. It makes me feel important.
# Posted By Mahayana
| 2/15/10 01:21 AM
| Report
| Reply
I feel the same way! :)
# Posted By ActivistAnali
| 2/18/10 08:43 AM
| Report
| Reply
Thanks for your post, ActivistAnali!
# Posted By AFY_Nikki
| 2/16/10 09:29 AM
| Report
| Reply
[Add New Comment]
Get email updates and action alerts:
by Anatic09