By: Jasmin Corona & Cindy Gonzalez

Voting plays a significant role for maintaining democracy. Voting signifies the past struggle with Great Britain. It is known that our democratic nation would not exist if it were not for the colonists rebellion. In today’s society, there has been a decline in the amount of voters; especially amongst young adults. This is because many teenagers do not recognize the importance of voting. The act of voting can not be stressed enough with the upcoming election on November 6, 2016. Young people make up a small portion of the eligible voting population but still creates a huge impact. They are not as motivated to vote because they don’t find it as appealing as older voters. Despite all the social media engagements trying to catch young adult’s attention, it doesn’t draw any attention to them. Teenagers should be encouraged to become more involved in politics and express their right on voting.

Young adults are often aware of the presidential elections and are very opinionated when it comes to expressing their thoughts. They share their opinions and complain about what’s going on, for example, Donald Trump running for president, but they do not take a step further in attempting to make a difference in the upcoming election “Our generation spends countless amount of time complaining about the world on social media sites but the majority of us do not do anything to change how things are being run…People who do not vote have no right to complain about the state of the government or the policies being passed” (Spencer). To add on, there is no point in complaining about what is going on in politics if they are not making an effort to be heard by voting. This makes a difference because presidential candidates primarily appeals to areas that are high in votes “If your community is turning out well below other neighborhoods, elected officials will pay less attention, make fewer appearances and fewer appeals to your neighborhoods. Who votes has a powerful impact on public policy and government” (Mass Vote). Furthermore, if one wants their voice to be heard the only option is to vote in order for candidates to appeal to your area.

Young adults deserve to speak their mind about important issues. As individuals with rights to vote, young adults should be aware of their impact on politics. Youth voter registration rates are much lower than older age groups’ rates, and as a result, guiding youth through the registration process is one potential step to closing the age-related voting gap (The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement). In immigrant communities, young voters may be easier to reach, are more likely to speak English and may be the most effective messengers within their communities. This is why many minority groups should know how the importance of voting can affect their community. They can make a difference with their vote in order for their communities to have more rights. But young voters want to do more than just vote, they want to be part of a campaign. Presidential Candidate, Bernie Sanders, was the first one since Obama to tap into that”, (Editorial Board). Young voters want to feel connected and reached out by presidential candidates in order to feel part of the election. Sanders is of of the few candidates doing this because he knows young voters are the future and the issues he’s fighting for and wanting to change affect them. Young voters should be encouraged to vote in order to change stereotypes because they have the same voice as any other older voter to change and add rights that are needed to make everyone equal.