Every year, millions of people turn 18 and earn the right to vote. As of 2018, the millennial and post millennial generations now have the most eligible voters in America. So, why do they have the worst voter turnout out of everyone? In the 2016 presidential election, only 46 percent of eligible voters between 18 and 29 years old turned in a ballot. For comparison, the Silent/Greatest generation (ages 71+) had a 72 percent turnout.
However, now is a better time than ever for that to change. 2018 is a midterm year, referring to the middle of a president’s term in office. This means that a third of the Senate and the entire House of Representatives are up for re-election. As a result, lots of changes could be coming and student turnout could have a huge influence on the results.
“If you want something done, you have to go get it and the best way to get it is to go vote,” Wolfington Center employee Nia Alvarez-Mapp said. “They want your vote, you want your issues to be heard and it just works that way but people don’t understand that anymore.”
Voter Registration week, the brainchild of Alvarez-Mapp, ran from Oct. 1 through Oct. 5. The Wolfington Center had tables set up at Cav’s Corner as well as various spots around campus all week.
“Since the midterm election is an important election and everything since 2016 has been a bit more messy, I just felt that we should take aim more at the grasp of it and make the system better for everyone by helping to understand the importance of voting,” Alvarez-Mapp said.
With today’s politics, it may be more important than ever to get people to vote. It doesn’t seem like one vote means very much, but people joining together with a common goal make change happen. That’s where students come in.
“Students are the next generation,” Alyssa Kuryluk, a sophomore criminology and sociology double major, said. “They’re the ones that need to be voting and making their voice heard because they’re the ones that get affected by any decisions that those in power make.”
But students aren’t the only ones who can speak up, anyone can and should.
“It’s our decision who we want to represent us and make big decisions for us,” Matt McCuen, sophomore political science major, said.
If not registered to vote already, there are plenty of ways to do it. Registration can be online, depending on the state, as well as in the Wolfington Center.
“Come talk to us, we won’t bite I promise,” Alvarez-Mapp said.
