By Nora James Eikner Art by Hallie Anderson While scrolling through Snapchat or Instagram over the past year, many of you may have come across that red, white, and blue highlighted link in big, bold letters: “Register to Vote here!”. But the senior class is choosing to stop scrolling.
Voter turnout will be more important than ever this year, especially for voters under 30. According to the United States Census Bureau, 18-29 year olds have had the lowest turnout in every election since 1980. With the number of social media and news stories we see of youths expressing their political opinions, this data seems unbelievable. In a recent poll of St. Mary’s seniors, less than a third of those who responded will be able to vote in this year’s election. However, all of the eligible seniors are planning to vote. As Americans, voting is our constitutional right. Even if we are not strongly opinionated toward either candidate, not voting in this election would be abusing the American right to democracy and disrespecting those who fought for female suffrage. Choosing not to vote is a waste, not a statement. Ellen Feild (12), who voted earlier this month, said, “Since it was my first time voting, the main poll worker made an announcement to the entire room. She said, “Everybody, we have a first time voter here!” and the whole room cheered really loudly. While I was a little embarrassed, it felt good to get that support from my community. I proudly wore my ‘I voted’ sticker for the rest of the day. I am very excited that I got to do my part for my country.” If you are under the age of 18, check out Meghan Aslin’s (10) article to learn more about why you should educate yourself on this year’s election.
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