November 3rd is Election Day for the 2026 midterms, and I recently had the opportunity to visit a few college classes of newly eligible students to give a crash course on how, where, and why to vote! It was overwhelmingly positive and gratifying, like so much of the political engagement I have done within my communities, and it really made me think about how critical it is to embrace voting not only as a practice but as a skill.
The Numbers…
As anyone who took AP Government in high school knows, 18 to 25-year-olds consistently have the lowest voter turnout rates in the United States. (AKA, undergraduate college students simply don’t show up to the polls.)
At UVA alone, around 4,000 new students, most of them between the ages of 17 and 18, joined Grounds this fall, bringing the total undergraduate population to more than 17,000. In a town like Charlottesville, with a population of only around 44,000, UVA students make up a substantial portion of the population. The power that those numbers give us to influence election results is as inspiring as it is frustrating.
Help With Logistics!
Part of the reason I was so thrilled to do these presentations is because misinformation and confusion surrounding political processes seem to be becoming the norm. Even when there aren’t laws in place that actively make it more difficult for everyone to cast their ballot, which there often are, filling out a registration form correctly and understanding how eligibility works in the new city you just moved to can seem needlessly difficult. Luckily, with a little bit of searching, there are a ton of incredible professors and upperclassmen on any college campus who would be thrilled to help a young adult make sure they participate in democracy correctly.
You can often call your county’s registrar’s office or simply visit your state’s election “.gov” website to check your status and find accurate information about registration, polling locations, specific election details, and even early or mail-in voting eligibility!
(See Virginia’s here: https://www.elections.virginia.gov/ )
Disillusionment
I think it is important to distinguish between “being political” or “being involved in politics” and being a voter. With how overwhelmingly negative, divisive, disheartening, scary, and honestly unproductive it feels to follow national news in recent years, it is not hard to see why many young adults don’t want to tie part of their identity to any of it; however, the disillusionment fuels apathy, which in turn fuels complacency, and now we are training ourselves to keep our heads down while policy makers (who on average are at least 60 years old) make choices about a future that they won’t be around to see.Â
Voting is not a thing “political people” do. It was something only white property-owning men could do until the early 1800s. It is a thing black men couldn’t do until 1870, and a thing women couldn’t do until just over 100 years ago. It is also something that 18 to 20-year-olds couldn’t do until 1971. It is now considered a right that every United States citizen deserves and has the right to exercise.Â
Not voting is not an act of protest.Â
It’s an act of surrender. Our two-party system doesn’t feel your refusal, and the amendments on the ballot don’t have a box for “maybe.”Â
That is the reason why inaction is not a neutral stance.Â
It’s one that suppresses our instincts to lean into our empathy and speak our minds in favor of taking the path of least resistance.Â
Now more than ever, we can’t prioritize our comfort over our sense of what is right.Â
The Subtle but Formative Byproduct of Your Efforts
That last part brings up one of the most incredible and important parts of the entire process for my age group: figuring out what is right.
I’m going to call on that AP Government knowledge again. (I got a 5 on the test, so I promise I am at least somewhat aware of what I’m talking about.) The political socialization agent that shapes our beliefs the strongest is our families!Â
In college, we have now all moved away, and we are discovering who we are, what we care about, and what we believe in. Just as much as voting is something we do for the sake of our community, city, state, and country, it is also incredibly private and intimate.Â
So, if you still don’t feel totally convinced that the current system deserves your vote, or you just aren’t sure exactly what would be marked on your ballot, do it for yourself! Take the time to sit in the uneasiness of not knowing exactly what you think. Revel in it. This is the time to look inward, acknowledge that maybe your views aren’t grounded in something that feels authentic or supported by who you are, and then wrestle with that until they start to. The political climate is as in flux as we are as people, and that is not a reason to feel resistant to doing your civic duty. That growing pain may actually be a reason to stop, reflect, and learn something new about your goals and values as a person. It is also a chance to lean into your empathy, critical thinking, and awareness of the world around you.
Voting can truly be such a moving experience because when you are able to act on the values that have grown to live within you, you can kind of feel the weight of every other person who has done what you are doing to fight for something that was important to them. You are both an individual learning to use your voice and stand in your beliefs, and you are part of a historical system that has endured hundreds of years and has gradually become a platform for the underrepresented to begin speaking up for themselves and their rights.
Moving Forward
You may have heard the phrase “bad governments are elected by good people who don’t vote” or “vote like your life depends on it…because it does.” These hold even more weight for college students. Your vote means something, and that’s not just because it could truly help change the world you live in.Â
The last day to register in Virginia is October 23, 2026, for the midterms, but each new federal or local election is a new chance to register, vote, and reap all of the benefits for yourself and your community! (Yes, the local ones are just as salient for your journey to self-actualization!) (Plus, make sure to get the “I voted” sticker because it is basically the best part.)