Too Young to Vote? You Have a Voice.
Article by Serena Bennett
Illustrations by Sarah Matz
With the presidential election coming up on Tuesday, November 8th, many adults will be casting their votes and waiting for the final outcome. However, for those of us under 18 who are too young to vote, seemingly all we can do is sit back and watch our TV sets or computer screens while the president is chosen for us. It sometimes seems as if our ideas go unheard.
What some don’t realize, though, is that although we can’t yet vote, the election does impact our lives. If whoever is elected President this year cuts the education budget, for example, we will feel the impacts. We’re the ones being educated, but we don’t have much say in the funding that goes into the system.
Vote with Your Voice
For many of us, the 2020 election will be the first time in our lives we are able to vote in a Presidential election. But until then, many people under 18 do have political opinions and ideas to express.
“I think it’s important to care about politics because when you’re out of high school, you’ll be directly affected by these people and their policies,” says Cade Cunningham, age 15, a 10th grade student at Mahanoy Area.
Cunningham plans to study Biochemistry in college. “I enjoy politics because I love how the candidates’ ideas clash,” he says. “I love seeing how your ideas stack up against someone else’s.”
Hunter Bloss, 15, is also in the 10th grade at Mahanoy Area. He says the upcoming election is one of the most important in years. “This election could impact America’s youth greatly, especially regarding our education and our future workforce.” Bloss plans to either go to college for Economics and Political Science or join the Air Force.
Get involved
Although we can’t vote this year, there are some things people under 18 can do, such as write to or email candidates to express their opinions and ideas, talk to voting family members to express opinions and have productive discussions, or volunteer to help candidates by sharing messages on social media or putting up signs.
We are not voiceless, just a little quieter, for now.