What Election Day Means to Me

Amid all the stress and chaos of our country's impending election day, I wanted to take some time to share why this election is so important to me and probably equally important to many others my age. Of course as a soon to be 17 year old girl, I know there is much that I have left to learn about the voting process and the inner workings of our government. However, I hope that my insights will resonate with others my age and remind them why it is so important that we take an active role in determining the future of our country...

The first election I truly remember having any interest in was the 2012 Obama v. Romney Election.

Because I was only about 9 years old, I didn't have any real understanding of the election, what it meant, or why it was such a big deal. Since then, my generation has experienced more political conflict than most, and with the integration of social media and increased access to information, more young people are becoming politically involved than ever before. Although many people my age continue to ignore topics such as the economy, healthcare, racial injustices, climate change, etc. throughout their daily lives, I think I can speak for a large portion of my generation when I say that there are many of us who realize how important it is that we are aware of what occurs in our world and that we advocate for the causes that we believe in. Which is exactly what being a young voter in America is all about.

As young adults who are now growing into the voting age, it is our responsibility to formulate our own opinions on the matters that will affect the future of our generation and the generations that follow. Tomorrow's election will be the first that I feel truly involved in and deeply affected by. Many of the political matters that are currently up for debate are not only important to me but also important to the upholding of basic human rights in our country, so it does frighten me to know that I was not able to directly impact the outcome of tomorrow's election. Like many of you, I will be watching tomorrows election wishing that I could have voted, and feeling slightly uneasy thinking about the potential danger that our country could face in all scenarios. Thinking back to the 2012 election, I find myself reminiscing on the blissful ignorance and peace that I was allowed because of my young age. And yet now, as a young adult, I finally understand what a privilege it is to be able to vote in the presidential election, and how important it is that people have voted in this one. Unfortunately, I am still too young to take part in this election, but I know that my words have power, and I hope that my perspective is enough to convince even one person that their vote makes an impact whether it be in this election or the next.