Written by Alyssa Solis, Staff Writer
As the new year approaches, it’s time to start thinking about voting. Although the presidential election isn’t until November, the Wisconsin primary will happen on April 7.
Primaries and caucuses are what determine who the presidential candidates will be for the Democratic and Republican parties. Now is the time to start researching candidates to know who you will vote for in the upcoming primary as well as the presidential election.
Unfortunately, many young people don’t care to vote in the primaries or in the national election. They feel as though their vote doesn’t matter, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Voting is our chance to have a voice in politics. People have died to have the right to vote, and an amendment was made to the Constitution just so that 18-year-olds can vote. Yet here we are, with 60 percent of young people not voting, when things such as college tuition cost, climate change, equal pay, paid sick leave, paid paternity leave, healthcare, social security, net neutrality, drug policy, immigration policy, minimum wage, LGTBQ+ rights, the death penalty, abortion, taxes, and gun laws are all things that deeply concern our future and are being decided on by the people in office.
While it may be true that the Electoral College gets the final say in the presidential election, you can still decide who will get to be a part of the presidential election in the primaries for the two main parties and by contributing to the popular vote for your state which is almost always what electors from the Electoral College use to cast their ballot.
The biggest complaint that young people make is that they don’t support the candidates. This issue can be solved through voting for who you want to see in the presidential election for the two main parties. Then, the person you support in either of the parties will gain the votes and support to keep running and hopefully be the Republican or Democratic nominee.
Young people also claim that they don’t have the time to register or vote. However, students at Indian Trail High School & Academy will likely get to register at school to vote in the presidential election next year. For those who are graduating this year, they will also most likely get the chance to register at their college. Regardless, for those who will reach voting age before the election, they should have gotten a paper to register in the mail.
For those who cannot make it to the polls on Election Day, you can vote by requesting an absentee ballot and vote through the mail, online, or during early voting periods. You can also do the same thing for the primary, minus the early voting.
So mark your calendars and remember to get out there and vote!