If you were on campus March 15, specifically the Bone Student Center, then you were at least a witness of the primary madness. Lines wrapped around tenfold as if McAlister’s and Einstein’s were handing out free food at lunchtime. People were running rampant on caffeine and campaign slogans. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many students in one place at one time just waiting in a single file line for the most part. A part of me was waiting for Leslie Knope to pop out of a corner somewhere, as she is one of the most politically prominant figures in my head.
As a nineteen year old, this was my first voting experience for a presidential election. Up until this point my experience consisted of… well… Mean Girls, Leslie Knope, and Pedro.
So, here’s what I learned through a REAL, government voting process:
1. Register.
Most college students don’t know that you can’t vote here at school if you aren’t registered here. You’re registered at home? Great! Go vote there! FYI – where you are registered means where you are allowed to vote. So many students wanted to vote but ended up having to stand around for two hours just to re-register here beforehand. Although same day registration is helpful, pre-registering online saves endless amounts of time. The long lines, waiting time and craziness of the atmosphere would have been cut in half if everyone had just registered before. Lesson learned, I’m sure, for those of you who missed class or essential meals of the day.
2. Do it the old fashioned way.
If you voted electronically, you most likely waited four times as long as someone who voted on a paper ballot. If you pre-registered and voted on a paper ballot it took you ten minutes tops. If you did same day registration and voted electronically it took you two hours at the least. Technology seems more reliable for these types of things, but if you’re going for efficiency, do it the old fashioned way. A paper and pencil never go out of style.
3. Know what you’re voting for… and where.
A primary election is a way to narrow down presidential candidates before the actual election. This essentially, and progressively, puts nominations of party candidates in the hands of the people. Know this. Know that Illinois participates in an open primary system, in which anybody from any party can vote for any candidate. So, if you think your vote doesn’t count, you’re wrong. If you don’t know where to go, its a simple search on your smart phone. Most canidate’s campaigns have location finders on their websites. Super helpful, super easy.
4. Know WHO you’re voting for.
Like I said, with the open primary system, you can vote for anyone. You’re a democrat, but really don’t want Donald Trump to get the nomination? Vote republican for John Kasich. Likewise, if you’re a republican and really don’t want Hillary Clinton to get the nomination? Vote democrat for Bernie Sanders. Man, don’t you just love how politics can be so… political?
5. Do it (or don’t).
Vote. Vote vote vote. Practice your country’s constitutional rights. Have a say, do your part, and engage your citizenship. You don’t need to know the pre-amble word for word to feel confident in your vote. If you’re feeling pressured and turn to, “I don’t like any of the candidates,” think about it more. It’s inevitable that one get elected, so ignoring it is useless. If your friend is voting for someone else but you’re internally in disagreement, you don’t have to tell him or her whose box you’re checking. Your vote is your vote, which also means that if you don’t want to you shouldn’t have to. However if you don’t, you reserve no right to complain about the outcome whatsoever.
Just know that if all youths voted, they would make up about 40% of voters. That’s impactful.
6. Wear your sticker.
Isn’t that why we all go anyways?
7. Know the outcome.
The primary results for Illinois were successful for Trump who received 53 delegates and won by a landslide with 38.8% of the votes. Cruz and Kasich only received 14 combined. On the democratic end, Hillary Clinton beat Bernie Sanders in votes by 1.8%. If you contributed to these votes, go you. Despite the outcome, you can always say that you tried.
Hopefully our voting experiences, as a generation, become easier and less chaotic as we get the process down. There’s always next near, or technically four years from now, to get it right.