Millennials are quick to complain about the government via social media but extremely slow to show up to polls.
I was raised with the mindset that if you do not vote, you give up your right to criticize the administration. However, the majority of my generation would disagree.
According to a Harvard University Institute of Politics survey, approximately a quarter of eligible voters between the ages of 18 to 29 planned on voting in the 2014-midterm elections. Unfortunately, only 21.3 percent actually utilized their right to vote.
When I asked my peers why they did not vote, the majority of them gave the same reason: they lacked knowledge about the candidates. Some even blamed the education system and said politics should be taught in schools.
The funny thing is that Simple DirectMedia Layer concluded from a survey that 19 out of 20 millennials own smartphones and check them roughly 45 times per day. The media was plastered with information about the midterm election for weeks prior to voting. Sites like politico.com and votesmart.org were created to inform users about candidates running in any election. Facebook and other social media outlets reminded their users to vote.
As Election Day quickly approaches, it is vital for all eligible millennials to utilize this right that others before us fought so hard to obtain. Social media has drastically changed the ways of politics. Twitter allows for easier access to politicians and information. The government is now being held to standards that were not there in years prior. However, tweeting about a policy will only take you so far. True change comes on Tuesday, November 8th, in the voter booth.
With such accessibility to all kinds of information, other millennials can only blame themselves for the insufficient familiarity about the election. If every individual of this massive generation took advantage of their right to vote, millennials would finally understand the power we have to change the government.
*photo courtesy of http://www.willistonian.org*