September 22, 2015, was the 4th annual Voter Registration Day sponsored by “Rock the Vote”. As a newly 18-year old I was beyond excited about all of the new things adulthood would bring. Now I can pierce my ears without asking my parents, get a credit card, apply for a Blockbuster account and finally, I could cast a vote in the next election. I always assumed everybody else was as excited as I was, but it shocked me how many people didn’t even know the basics of our political process. The excuses I got were endless. Some people aren’t interested in politics, some people claim their vote won’t make a difference, and some people seemingly don’t have the time. This led me to research how the rest of America measures up against my friends. In the last presidential election we only had a 57.6% voter turnout rate. This means that almost 40% of America’s voice is not reflected in our current government.
I believe that there is no excuse to give up the chance to directly control your government, however National Voter Registration Day works to eliminate as many of those excuses as possible. Rock the Vote gives organizations, college campuses, and workplaces the information and convenience to register to vote and complete step 1 in being a productive member of society. We woman didn’t fight for the right to vote just so we can skip registration for our Starbucks runs!
Although at times the many new exciting freedoms of being 18 overshadow a mundane task such as casting a vote, it is by far the most crucial and impactful. To all you non-voters out there, you have no more excuses! You still have time, register to vote online with a valid Georgia drivers license at registertovote.sos.ga.gov/ or download the PDF application.