Losing my Voting Virginity
Whether you are in a classroom, the dining hall or in your dorm, take a look around. Chances are you are surrounded by friends or individuals of the same age or interests, such as a shared fascination for the major or an identical excitement for a lunch break. Whatever it may be, your surrounding peers all share an intense and common privilege as you that did not exist nearly a century ago. Whether or not you or your peers decided to take part, the right to vote had the opportunity to be exercised on the second Tuesday of February – the New Hampshire primary.
By no means do I intend to turn my first experience voting into some sort of history lecture, but I do think it is important to note that a century ago, none of us or our peers could have partaken in the act of electing our next president. For most of us, the biggest reason is because we are female. However, even the males, white or otherwise, could not have exercised their right to vote unless they owned property under their own name. I don’t know about you all, but there aren’t a lot of college students I know who own property. The fact of the matter is, unless you are near an adult white male, one hundred percent of those surrounding you would not have been able to vote a century ago.
For most of us on campus, the New Hampshire primary was our first experience voting. This was particularly exciting for me as a landmark in my adulthood. Being eighteen, I didn’t necessarily partake in the usual rituals of an eighteen year old which validates their coming of age such as, buying cigarettes, scratch tickets or porn – sorry to disappoint. Having my first time voting also match up with the minimum age required was cool and exhilarating, and I didn’t miss the opportunity to make my adulthood known, even in the form of filling in a bubble. What’s even better is we all have the privilege of attending a school where the future Commander in Chief targets his or her campaign, and their impact on us can grant them substantial momentum in the race.
Despite your personal preference for the next president, the New Hampshire Primary voters spoke in large volumes when it came to Trump and Sanders’ success. Somewhere within the results, the vote I casted was counted, driving the basis for the rest of the primaries to follow. My voting virginity has been broken, and although I don’t have a Scarlet Letter to prove it, I do have my “I Voted” sticker.