Four years ago, I was a senior in high school who wouldn’t turn 18 until arriving at UMass the following fall. Therefore, as this November approached, the battle between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump would be the first election I voted in. As we all know, this election was a big one, and I couldn’t have been more excited and ready to participate.
I decided to take part in early voting, mostly due to the sake of convenience (my Tuesday/Thursday schedule is packed, of course). Early voting was set up in the Student Union, thanks to UMass, the Town of Amherst and the Student Government Association. I was so grateful that UMass gave us this opportunity, because voting in this election was important, and the more opportunities to do so, the better. In recent years, voter turnout has landed at about 60%—less than two-thirds of the American population, which is unacceptable for a democratic nation.
As I waited in the voting line, my heart began beating increasingly fast. I was equally nervous and excited, because I had never participated in an election before, and this one mattered so deeply to me. As I knelt down in my little cubicle, pen poised, ballot unfolded, I absorbed the energy of the room. I took a moment to take in this experience, this privilege that we have. While to some in the room it may not have been exciting, to others I think we felt the enormity of this choice, of what each candidate would represent for the United States. As young people in America, I find we often feel as if our voice isn’t heard or doesn’t matter. But seeing so many of my peers showing up to vote seemed to demonstrate the fact that, generationally, we care about what happens in our country; it is important for us to exercise our right to vote as citizens.
Furthermore, millennials do have power. If only millennials voted, Clinton would have received 473 electoral college votes in comparison to Trump’s 32. It’s clear that this is a huge difference from the actual events of the election, showing that age demographics truly affect results. However, only around half of millennial voters actually voted in the election. Our generation possesses a great deal of power; now, we just need to use it to generate change and progress across our nation.
While it may seem like our vote doesn’t matter due to the electoral college, voting does still make an impact. Massachusetts residents in particular voted against adding an additional slots-only casino license and expanding charter schools, while marijuana legalization and prohibition of farm animal confinement were passed.
As I handed my completed ballot to the poll station worker, my heart continued to beat ridiculously fast. The smile on my face was pretty apparent as I helped myself to as many stickers as I possibly could. I stuck multiple on the front of my sweater, proudly displaying my participation in the election for the rest of the day. Much to the annoyment of those around me, I continued to talk about my excitement. Even now, after voting has ceased and our new president-elect has been chosen (although not yet officially), I display those same stickers on my laptop case.
I hope everyone got the chance to participate in the election, and to experience the same excitement that voting brought me. Whether the election results favored your candidate or not, possessing the opportunity to vote as U.S. citizens is an experience we all should have. See you in four years, voting booths.