First Ballot

The importance of new voters in the 2016

2016. The year which may prove to be the most important in our young lives. Nearly all seniors and some juniors at WCA and across the country will be participating in arguably the biggest election in American history.

  Youth voters play a serious role in an election. As a matter of fact, candidates aim their campaign to online sources to appeal to the 70% of 18 to 29 year olds that visit the internet everyday. Here is a to do list for new voters.

1. Vote

  Some may consider not voting to avoid lines, crowds, and time spent; however, in this race in particular, every vote will count. As Americans, we have a duty to vote to select our new leader, so we should not pass the opportunity. In fact, in the 2008 election, the population under the age of 30 made up 18% of the vote.  Again, in 2008, 66% of the under 30 youth voted for the winner, Barack Obama, while Mccain only received 31% of the youth vote. However, 18 year olds vote more than older peers because of the excitement of casting their first ballot. As a result, the youth in this country plays a major role in the future.

2. Think

   Lunch table conversations can include things about sports, food, or politics. When politics are brought up, do not let someone’s view on a certain candidate be your only source of information. At home, if your parents show interest in a candidate be sure to ask questions like: Why they like them? What policies do they favor for the candidate? 71% of youth voters cast the same ballot as their parents. A new voter should formulate their own opinion of a candidate based on pure facts and personal opinion, not peer pressure.

3. Use media to be informed

   The debates offer a way for voters to discover which candidate their views align with. New voters need to have accumulated information on their candidates whether that be military, foreign, or economic policy. The republican and democratic debates offer a way for candidates to share their policies on a national stage; so tune in when there’s one on TV.

   Also, social media aids the influx of information to a new voter. Voters can follow candidates, the RNC, the DNC, or other political outlets they’re interested in on twitter or instagram. Additionally, they could read articles from more than one news outlet, so the knowledge obtained is more balanced.

   New voters should be aware of the election and tune in to help form an opinion and favorable candidate. They play a major role in an election, and that is why new voters should take the election seriously.