Friday, March 29, 2024

Casting call

Register before deadline to exercise right to vote

Despite past voter turnouts, young adults must establish themselves as a powerful voting bloc.

The 26th Amendment of the Constitution guarantees all citizens 18 and older the right to vote and still, young adults constitute the worst showing in general elections.

In the 1996 presidential election, roughly 32 percent of those 18 to 24 voted, while only 54 percent of all the voting-age population punched a ticket. The turnout was down from the 1992 presidential election, when 42 percent of those 18 to 24 voted.

Voting is a cherished and fundamental right in the United States, yet so many take for granted the power that each vote carries. Instead, people are less likely to get out and vote when satisfied with the economic well-being of the country - assuming things will continue in the same direction. This view on American politics should not be the case. If citizens are happy with the country, they must go out and secure prosperity by casting a vote for a candidate who best serves their interests.

With the voter registration deadline fast approaching - Tuesday at midnight - it is important that students get out and register.

Too often people use the excuse that registering to vote is a difficult ordeal, when in fact, the process is relatively simple.

Either go to the office of the secretary of state, the city clerk’s office inside of city hall, or www.fec.gov/votregis/vr.htm and get registered.

The country’s ancestors thought the right to vote important enough to endure tremendous struggles to secure for themselves the inalienable right, whether through women’s suffrage or the Civil Rights Movement. Do not let their struggle be for naught.

A large problem many students face is the difficulty of getting home to cast their votes. However, there is a simple solution: Apply for an absentee ballot.

Students can obtain an absentee ballot by writing to the city clerk’s office in their hometown and requesting the form be mailed to them. This request can be made as early as 45 days before the election but no later than Nov. 4. Absentee ballots must then be returned to the city clerk’s office on or before election day.

Once registered to vote, a registration card will be mailed out, telling people where they can go to cast their votes.

Many students are apathetic toward voting because they don’t see how their vote will directly affect their lives. This is where they are wrong. As students, their decision will affect the nation for at least the next four years. Four years - most students will have graduated and become a member of the work force. Issues that will concern them range from health care to taxation.

While health care and taxation are important issues, there are many reasons why it’s important to vote. Those elected will determine how the federal surplus will be used, whether to secure Social Security or implement tax breaks. They will make decisions on national defense and foreign policy. The elected presidential candidate will likely appoint three Supreme Court justices and determine how to remedy energy concerns - considering oil is roughly $31 per barrel.

Register to vote.

Discussion

Share and discuss “Casting call” on social media.