As I was flipping through my September Issue of Elle magazine (the “biggest fashion issue of the year”), I came across an article that was in and amongst the articles about which styles were coming back and which collars were now considered fashionable. The title of the article, which was the largest print on the page, said “GET OUT THE VOTE.” The article started with this opening line: “More women than men have voted in every presidential election since 1964,” (Elle Magazine, September 2012). I wanted to praise Elle for talking about something besides fashion, but then I realized something else… voting is fashionable.
Being fashionable is about being up to date with the latest trends. Right now, the presidential election is trending. You might say to yourself, “which president we have doesn’t affect me” or “I live in a mostly (blue or red) state and my vote doesn’t matter.” Hold on. Remember the Bush v. Gore election? The election that seemed to last forever, the election that counted and recounted votes? That year, every vote really did matter, and who is to say that this year won’t be any different.
This is my first presidential election that I can vote in (I missed the last one by two months ?) and I can’t tell you how excited I am. In the last election, only 46% of people under 30 voted (tnr.com). No wonder why young people feel that their opinions don’t matter because that statistic shows that young people don’t care. Want to be taken more seriously? Want your opinion valued? VOTE. Show that you do care!
So you may be wondering, how can you vote? Well, first you have to be registered to vote. In order to do so, you need to either go to your town office or fill some paper work out and send it in. The best way to find out how to register based on your home state is to Google “how to register to vote it (enter your state here).“ Then, the next step is easy. On Tuesday, November 6th, all you have to do is walk up to the polls in your home state and cast a ballot.
Unfortunately we have school that day, and while some Brandeisians are from Massachusetts, many of us are not. This does not mean that you should not vote or that you can’t vote. Once again, Google absentee ballot in (enter your state here). This should be done early!! Make sure you get your form ASAP that way you can send in your ballot on time in order to ensure your vote is counted. It’s a pretty simple process and took me all of 2 minutes to request one. My absentee ballot will arrive in my mailbox and all I have to do is fill it out and send it back.
Whether you are for Mitt Romney or Barack Obama or another candidate, it doesn’t matter. Do your research; choose your candidate and vote! Encourage your friends, no matter what their political party, to vote because a fair election is one that consists of all voices being heard. Whether those voices are young or old, black or white, male or female- it does not matter. Go out on November 6th and do something fashionable: vote!