With news of the upcoming presidential elections swirling on seemingly every media platform’s homepage, I’m sure everyone reading this has heard the unending chorus of “You should vote, go vote!” from campaigns, teachers, parents, or friends. I’m also sure at least some of you have thought, “Why bother?” With all that is on our plates these days, voting might seem like a daunting, unachievable task. In the midst of trying to figure out what you’re going to do with your own life, whispers of fraud, and the media trying to pull your opinions this way and that, it may appear easier to just not vote at all.
I can’t say that this mindset is technically wrong, and I can’t console you either. Voting for a candidate is an important decision, and a very difficult one. All I can say is that you must not let other people make that decision for you.
Voting is your chance to let your voice be heard. Even if your candidate doesn’t succeed, the statistics you provide are going to be integral in informing public opinion, as well as how those in charge operate during their term. Not to mention that your candidate might just as well win, in which case you helped that to happen. You don’t even have to like your candidate, voting just because you think someone is the “least bad” is far better than not trying at all, and simply showing up to the polls may inspire those around you to share their own voice. In the last presidential election, Connecticut had a record ~85 percent of registered voters actually vote, which seems high but still means that ~15 percent of voters did not feel their vote was important enough to cast. Don’t be part of that 15 percent. you are part of this country and you deserve to have a say: You must not silence yourself
