The importance of voting


Americans aren’t exactly known for turning up to the polls. Considering that the US is a country that prides itself on democracy, it’s easy to be surprised by our historically low voter turnout when it comes to presidential elections. In recent years, the amount of people who have actually cast a ballot has hovered around the low 60% and high 50% range. But in 2020, something changed. Whether it was because they were satisfied or fed up, Americans voted in record numbers this year. According to the US Elections Project, an estimated 69.6% of eligible voters turned out, meaning that 2020 had the highest voter turnout since the year 1900. Although he lost, President Trump amassed 10.1 million more votes than he did the last election. President-Elect Biden’s popular vote total currently sits at over 79 million, making him the most voted for candidate in American history.

Why do these statistics even matter? Who cares how many people vote? It may not seem that important, but high voter turnout is a sign of a healthy democracy. Politics is affecting every single one of us whether we like it or not, so If you aren’t staying informed and voting, you’re passing up the chance to make your life easier and have the government serve you better! How are they supposed to do what’s best for the people if they don’t know what the people want? I don’t know about you, but I definitely don’t want a bunch of old men dictating what my future is going to look like while I remain oblivious, throwing my opportunity to make my voice heard out the window.

You’re probably wondering why I’m directing this at high school students since most of us can’t vote. The reason is that young voters don’t usually turn out to the polls even though they’re going to be affected by policies the longest. Young voter turnout can help decide elections, so you should start paying attention to politics now. Your steps don’t have to be big. Download a news app on your phone and turn on the notifications. Watch the news on TV once a week. Make sure you’re getting information from a range of unbiased sources. Think about what issues are important to you and research those issues. If you start paying attention now, you won’t be completely lost 4 years from now when it’s time for you to vote. You have the opportunity to take hold of your future—it’s up to you to take it or not.