By Emily Cheatham | Editorial editor, Staff writer
Politics determines every single miniscule aspect of life. How fast you can drive, if you can drive, if you can get a job, how much you’ll get paid, if that job has any form of security, if the job is safe, what food is safe to eat, if water is safe to drink, if you can live in this country, if you have to die for this country. Nothing in life is free from the reach of politics. And yet, of those under the age of 25, only one in four pay attention.
There is absolutely no excuse to not register to vote, let alone not cast your ballot. There is a little leeway in states that have voter I.D. laws, making it harder for the lower classes to register, but that doesn’t apply to Wisconsin. The registration process is beyond flawed and in extreme need of reform, but proper reform doesn’t seem like it’s a possibility any time soon. So until then, getting out and voting needs to be a priority in life, so the voice of the people can be heard.
It’s hard for a politician to really care what the public thinks when only a little over 30 percent of the population votes in the midterm election and only 60 percent vote in the presidential election. If the American public want politicians to listen, and act accordingly, then the people need to stand united. Political ideology is irrelevant, all that matters is that the people are heard, no matter how many different opinions that ends up being.
There are many different theories floating around about why America’s youth has so much political apathy, but the reason is useless if it doesn’t provide a solution. The solution can come in many different forms, from school’s planning field trips to the county clerk’s office at the end of the year for all those over 18, to social networking sites, to even total reform of the system that automatically registers you when you do taxes, get any kind of I.D., or apply for any kind of government assistance. Until those things happen, teenagers need to do it for themselves, prove to the adults who think we’re lazy and selfish, that we do care and it matters to us how our government works and treats the people.
Politics has more control over your life than anything else, whether you want to admit it or not. And right now, those politicians and their choices are increasing your student loan interest rate, attempting to restrict your healthcare, your right to your body, your right to love, and if you make enough money to not live in poverty. It isn’t just the presidential election that matters, congressional elections are just, if not equally, important. It isn’t just federal elections either, state and local government needs to be paid attention to as well.
It doesn’t matter who you are, or who you vote for, but voting can no longer be just an option. It is a necessity, it can change lives, and it needs to receive the attention that it deserves. We need to build a strong base of informed youth voters, and that can only be done if you register and pay attention to the world around you. The 2014 midterm elections are coming up in November, and teenagers need to make sure that politicians have no choice but to listen to us.