On the Trail: That unpredictable, erratic, impulsive, impetuous, capricious, reasonably fickle youth vote

Well, here we are. By the next edition of this article series we will have a new President of the United States. What a historic and monumental race it has been. Regardless of who wins on Nov. 4, it will be the final chapter in a race that broke all the rules.

Though the US presidential race has been going on for nearly two years, it is important that we all do not forget the final step in this electoral process: VOTE! That’s right; the leader of the free world is largely decided by who receives the most votes by American citizens. So if you support what a candidate stands for, being an official “fan” of them on Facebook is technically not going to assist their bid for the presidency.

Granted, the youth vote exceeded expectations considerably in the caucus and primary portions of the election earlier this year, yet political pundits are still expressing skepticism on whether or not youth will actually vote, let alone make a difference.

They have a right to be doubtful; they only have decades of statistics and experiences to support their claims. For instance, in the last presidential election four years ago, only 20 percent of 18-25 year-olds voted. In other words, one out of five of us voted in ‘04 (that’s pretty bad). Believe it or not, the youth vote in 2004 was sadly much better than the previous six presidential elections, which says quite a bit.

Unfortunately, our demographic has been ridiculed as a result, with pundits always saying, “They (the youth vote) always talk that they’re going to come out in huge numbers but fail to follow through once they see something good on TV on election night or get distracted by something shiny.” So basically the pundits think we should be thankful that the election is on a Tuesday and not a Thursday night or else those voting booths would lose to The Office and Grey’s Anatomy.

Simply put, it is your duty as an American citizen to vote. The freedom to express an opinion is coveted by many in our world who cannot do so. With so much buildup and media overload, it is easy to forget that you actually need to vote for a candidate to be selected. By not voting, you have allowed others to choose for you. Ours is a democracy that depends on citizen critique, support and interaction with government. Your vote is your opinion on whom, how and what should be a part of that government. You cannot truly “participate” in America without voting.

Patriotism is something that can be defined many ways by many different perspectives and worldviews. But something at the core of patriotism that many can agree on is the ability to stand for something, so expressing yourself through a vote is inherently patriotic.

All of this talk about duty and patriotism is very idealistic, and it is true that we are all very busy with our lives as college students, but a small part of your day spent voting once every year truly does affect how our democracy works. So whether you are going to back McCain, Obama, Barr, Nader or write in Mickey Mouse himself, you are taking part in a process that is not all about being a Republican, Democrat or Independent; it is something that is much more basic than that. It’s about being an American.

Please get your absentee ballots in or find your polling place, and make your voice heard on Nov. 4. We need to show that our generation is ready to take charge of our country. Let’s set the example by fulfilling our patriotic duty and voting.