We, as college students, are at the age where legislation that is voted into effect will impact us for the rest of our lives. Our vote is powerful, yet voter turnout for our age group is lower than any other. According to the US Census Bureau, in the 2018 Midterm election, voter turnout from ages 18 to 29 was only 36%. While this was unprecedentedly high, it shows that less than half of Gen Zs and Millennials are represented in Midterm Elections. Generally, Midterms have lower voter turnout than Presidential Elections, but they’re immensely more important. Our legislative branch was designed to be the most powerful branch of the United States Government. Every important issue that needs to be addressed in the coming years such as gun control, climate change, the student loan debt crisis and the opioid crisis will be initiated in the House. Why is voter turnout so low for college students?
There are several reasons. Firstly, it’s inconvenient. Those who have left home for college must change their voting address or fill out an absentee ballot. The easy solution to this problem is to go to your state government website and find sample ballots and dates. What I believe is one of the biggest reasons college students don’t vote is because feel they’re not equipped to make an informed decision, so they don’t. I’ve come across quite a few college students that have admitted to not being registered to vote or don’t show up to the polls because they feel it’s difficult to find unbiased information. In a time where social media has become our main source for news, false information spreads like rapid fire. This makes it challenging for the average person to become an informed voter. If this speaks to you, here are a few tips to help you become a more informed voter:
- Find out where you stand on the political spectrum.
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It’s common to align with your parents’ or peers’ political ideology, but does this party accurately represent your values? Take a quiz (here, here, or here) to get a general idea of where you align. Not only will it help you find a party or candidate, these quizzes also might introduce you to issues you haven’t thought of before. This is an opportunity to see what matters and what you need to be more informed of.
- Join political college groups.
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Political College groups are not only a great way to meet new people, but they’re also a fantastic source of information. If your campus has College Democrats, College Republicans or some other political group, attend a few meetings and see if it’s a good fit for you. You’ll be able to catch up on current events and participate in debates and conversations. As someone who hates watching the news lately, this was a fun and engaging way to stay informed without the extra nonsense.
- Watch presidential debates and town halls.
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Debates are a great way to get an idea of a candidate’s agenda. When watching, I like to take note of a few things: Does the candidate address issues that are important to me? How do they treat the other candidates? Is the candidate controversial and have they dealt with scandals early on in the race? Is the candidate able to have adequate screen time? For the upcoming election, the student loan debt crisis and climate change are important to me. Candidates that don’t have a detailed plan for these topics most likely won’t address these issues in office and this affects whom I will vote for in the primary election. Candidates that disrespectfully address their opponents show that they don’t work well with others. Compromise and teamwork are essential components of an effective government.
- Research, Research, Research.
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Research is the key to informed voting. For presidential elections, read the candidate’s websites, watch debates, keep up to date with the news and if they have political experience, research their past actions and accomplishments. For local level elections with propositions, judicial retention and state representatives, government web pages, candidate’s websites and town halls are the best sources of information. I like to find information on propositions by reading them first hand. They can be found on government pages. In Missouri, supreme court justices are nonpartisan figures and are appointed by the governor. They have retention elections to stay in office. A great way to become more informed of judicial retention voting is to search for the candidate’s stance with the American Bar Association and how they have ruled for past contentious cases. Try to stay away from commentary media as a main source of information because they’re more biased.
Remember, you can’t play if you don’t win. This twist on a popular saying is one of the first things I learned as a political science major. It means that those who don’t acquire office (or those who vote for a candidate that doesn’t) don’t get a say in most political decisions. You can argue that you don’t like any of the candidates and you can vote third party, but at the end of the day, if you don’t vote or you don’t vote for a candidate that has a realistic chance of winning, you lose your voice and won’t be represented. Let’s take advantage of the privileges that we have in a democracy and make our voices heard by showing up to the polls with confidence.