For the 2010 elections, nearly 71 million unmarried women, people of color and individuals under the age of 30, who make up the Rising American Electorate voters, did not vote, according to Voterpaticipation.org.
According to the same website, more than 46 million members of the RAE failed to vote and of these non-voters nearly, 37 million were not even registered.
A large percentage of those in this group are young individuals between the ages 18 and 29.
They make up about 51 percent of the RAE’ s that are not registered to vote according to. These numbers demonstrate the large pool of unregistered potential voters.
I’ll take a moment to be completely honest, voting has not been something that has been on the top of my to-do list, either.
If anything, my priority was to try to stay as far away from politics as I could.
But can we ever really stay away from politics? The answer is simply no. There is a political element in everything, and political decisions will be made whether you participate or not.
So often, I hear people complain about Congress, about laws that are being passed, or about how their voices are not being heard, but have not even done their part by voting.
Voting helps you make a difference. Individuals complain that the system is “corrupt” or is “ineffective.” And while the system will never be perfect, there is always hope for improvement.
Voting for the candidates that you feel are going to make a difference is important; you have the power to make them respond to you.
As Americans, having the right to vote is something that is very valuable, but is a forgotten privilege.
There are countries that cannot hold elections and countries where women and minorities still cannot vote.
Although voting is not required in the U.S, it is a privilege that people around the world would be grateful for.
It is also a right that millions of men and women gave their lives to secure.
Voting gives me a choice to decide on which candidate I feel is best to be the voice of our country, state, county or whatever the case may be.
If you don’t vote how can you complain about what you don’t like about what’s taking place?
I am not saying that those who vote have the right to complain, but at least they are attempting to get their voices heard.
There are many states that require registration weeks before an election in order for individuals to be able to vote. If you are interested in voting and don’t know how to register to vote visit your resident state’s government website in order to find the steps.
For those who are residents of Indiana, visit www.in.gov/sos/elections/2403.htm.
The opportunity to register for this election has past, but that’s the beauty of our system. Another election is just two years away.
Young people, women and underrepresented individuals have fought hard for the privileges of being able to vote.
So set aside a half-hour this Tuesday and vote.
It’s your right, and your duty.
