Voting is the best way to create changes in our country. Many seniors at LSHS are eligible to vote in the 2024 election; however, those who actually vote will be a small minority. There are many issues that are important to our generation, yet they seldom share our opinions at the polls.
There is a huge gap between the number of voters between different age groups, and especially between the youth voters (18-29 years old) and older voters. There are only a couple of times that youth voter turnout came over 50%.
“I feel like the younger poplulation doesn’t care as much. They don’t really care to learn about the election and who’s running and politics just cause it doesn’t affect them a lot,” senior Natalie Boak said.
Younger people might not vote as much because they haven’t had the opportunity to vote before, and they don’t see the point. They are so used to the adults in the world making the big decisions that they don’t realize that they have a chance to change that decision.
There are many issues that are important to younger people, yet many of them still don’t vote. Issues like LGBTQ+ rights, gun control and climate change make a big impact on our future, yet the younger generation doesn’t think they have the ability to change them.
“Most younger people don’t feel like they can really make a difference… I think even like just one makes a difference. Most people think that their vote doesn’t really matter,” senior Oliver Machen said.
When people don’t vote, their opinions on important subjects don’t get represented. With the upcoming 2024 election many students are going to be eligible to vote, it is important for the younger population to get their opinions out there, so they can see the changes they want in the world.
