Why Vote?

One of the most frequently cited reasons that students opt out of voting is because they don't think that the political process is interesting or engaging.  They also don't think their vote matters.

It's true that policy can be difficult to understand and it's true that every voting-aged and eligible citizen is entitled to only one vote. But politics affect everyone and everything, from how long it'll take before your street gets paved to how much money your kids' college tuition will cost by the time you're a parent. And to say that votes don't matter is trivializing the slim margins that have characterized our elections for some time now; pollsters claimed that Michigan was a "safe" state that was likely to pledge all of its delegates to Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, but President-Elect Trump beat her there by just a little over 13,000 votes. That's less than the University of Maryland's student body. Even Maryland, considered one of the most Democratic-leaning states in the country, elected a Republican governor simply because his base turned out more than his opponent's did.

Voting is also habit-forming. Data show that those who start voting young are likely to continue voting in elections as they mature. Other studies point to voters being more dedicated and enthusiastic about the country than non-voters. And ballots are usually multi-dimensional in what they offer, meaning that you have the opportunity to vote for other candidates and issues besides just presidential candidates and nominees.

And if you're still not convinced, consider this: voting is a right that much of the world still doesn't possess, and that your ancestors had to fight for to earn. Exercise your right to vote in honor of those who paved the way for you to do so and in honor of those who would die to cast a ballot in your place.