Recent Posts

Monday, November 5, 2012

Let's Vote, guys

Why WE(20-somethings) should vote in the Presidential election:
As we come up against everyone's last chance to vote, I think it's important to think about whether or not your vote counts. I live in Oregon. We get 7 votes in the electoral college. They are going to be for President Obama. That's just a fact. That's why nobody campaigns here. So in that regard, my vote really doesn't matter that much (for President. There are also important state and local ballot measures and candidates). But here is a reason that our vote does matter- politics cater to people who vote. People in their 50's are about twice as likely as people in their 20's to cast their ballots. Folks with money are more likely to vote. And more than anything, extremists on both sides are reliable voters. Don't feel like politics is about you, moderate 20-somethings? It's not. Because by and large we don't make the effort to involve ourselves. By voting in an election, you say "I care and I'm watching." Our generation has had one of the roughest starts in recent history. Many of us spent tens of thousands of dollars on college only to graduate into one of the worst job markets since the Great Depression. We should care. We should be paying attention. And we should be making sure that politicians give a shit about how we are doing and what we think. So turn in your ballots, guys.