Midterm season is upon us – and not just in your classes. If you’re a freshman like me, chances are you recently turned 18 years old, which means you should finally perform your duty as an American citizen and vote. If you don’t, especially in this day and age, you are what is wrong with this country.
Historically speaking, many of you won’t vote regardless of my attempts to convince you. Looking at the 2024 presidential election, only about 41% of 18 and 19-year-olds voted nationwide. When looking at the 2022 midterms, however, the youth vote aged 18-29 dropped to 23% turnout. This is a problem, and something we as college students cannot repeat.
Voting is so easy to do: simply fill out your ballot if you received one in the mail, or cast your vote in-person at the Joe Crowley Student Union on Nov. 3.
There is no justification to not do this small, yet incredibly impactful action. It takes such a low amount of effort to vote that not participating is an indefensible action, one that goes against the very foundation of America.Voting is a great opportunity for every ordinary person to influence the lives of not just themselves, but everyone around them. Still, people have their excuses.
One of the most common excuses I’ve heard is that their vote simply does not matter. Nevada actually has a great and kind of funny counterpoint to that exact line of reasoning. In 2024, two friends, Carl Copek and Seth Schrenzel, ran for the Gerlach General Improvement District Board and both got 67 votes. The tie was then settled by a card draw in the Washoe County Commission Chambers, and a seven of diamonds beat out a seven of clubs to secure Schrenzel a place on the board.
Now, obviously, a small water and sewer board is not a huge deal per se, but the race getting that close goes to show the value of a vote. The races closest to our daily lives (particularly the local races on your midterm ballot) are often the ones decided by a handful of votes. The lower turnout for midterms makes each ballot more impactful. Imagine the kind of change we could see if 80-90% of university students voted in the midterms.
So, when you complain about gas prices, foreign conflicts, data centers or any of the other hot topics that dominate American discourse, just know that there is a way to express your discontent with the government. Regardless of what side you lie on: get out there and vote!
Get others to vote while you’re at it — that is how you make a difference. One of the few times you get to have a say in important matters is on Election Day, and skipping that opportunity is like handing your decision to someone else, possibly someone with entirely different views from you.
My whole point here is that voting is not hard; it’s actually quite simple. With the amount of information available to us all in the digital age, there is no reason to feel uneducated or unprepared to vote — you should just do it.
