Caroline Nelson

Caroline Nelson Professor Hernandez Story- Why College Students Not Voting? With the 2018 Fall General Election two weeks away, students on Marian’s campus are being asked: Will you get out and vote? After the 2016 election, it was clear that many college students and millennials chose not to vote. A study conducted by the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education found that the lowest percent of voters in 2016 were 18-21-year olds. So what’s holding us back from going to the polls? Is it our laziness? Is it the candidates? Maybe they are talking about issues we don’t care about or don’t know enough about. Do candidates not know how to reach out to us on the platforms we are using? Growing up in the digital age, we should be more informed than any generation that has come before us. We have videos, websites, social media, etc. that tells us about the topics and candidates. After interviewing with a junior art therapy major, she claims,” I have a hard time trusting the news because they are biased based off the political party. The news always leans towards democratic or republican and it’s hard to trust them.” While the majority of Americans clearly recognize the importance of media in a democracy, there is a clear difference between Democrats and Republicans. I understand where Basil is coming from because the spread of inaccurate information on the internet is a problem with news coverage today. Donald Trump continues to disregard media and calls things he doesn’t agree with “fake news.” Despite it being hard to vote as a college student or millennial, young voters account for half of the voting population which makes us a powerful political force. With this being said, I ran a Google Forms survey for Marian Students in my communications class. Online it said 30% plan on voting and 70% do not plan on voting. Most of the reasons behind not voting was because they don’t want to and don’t feel like it. Furthermore, speaking with a Marian English Professor, Justin Ponder, we discussed how, “Some students feel like one vote doesn’t matter, they think one vote won’t impact an election.” This is where college students get it wrong. Every vote counts, especially from one of the largest voting populations. The 2008 campaign is a great example of the theory that every vote counts. Barack Obama’s popularity with youth voters was one of the key elements of his campaign which gave him a larger margin over competitors. In the light of college students and millennials, what we do know is that they are liberal, particularly on issues such as gay rights, immigration, abortion and gun rights. After the high school shooting killing 17 people in February at Parkland, Florida, many teen activists have become prominent for issues such as gun control. Popular teen activist, Emma Gonzalez never hides her raw emotions as she shares her own experiences with the effects of gun violence at the March For Our Lives in Washington and Power of Women honorees. https://twitter.com/Emma4Change Teen activists like Emma help eligible teens register to vote, and explain where the connections between voting and policies like gun control can help solidify for youth the importance and implications of their votes. With millions of followers online, celebrities are influential individuals. Often using their platforms to speak out on issues they care about, celebrities have the power to reach millions with their message. With 112 million Instagram followers, Taylor Swift broke her political silence in by posting this on her Instagram creating this registration spike that is now called “the Taylor Swift Effect.” During the 2016 election, Taylor insisted her fans to get out and vote. She supported Democratic candidates and openly opposed Republican Candidate Marsha Blackburn. With this in mind, college students and millennials might not care now, but they might in four years. Some feel that choosing a president or a senator isn’t something that affects their life right now. Some might not be struggling with issues like college debt or finding a full-time job. Here are some reasons why voting should matter to all college students and millennials. Civil Rights should be a concern for everyone. Where is your tax money going? Your health care matters. Foreign policy/relations affect you, too. The environment is at stake. Given these points, no matter what age or voting history, the first step in getting involved should be to check your voter status on MyVoteWisconsin at https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/ for information on voter registration process, election dates, candidates, and much more. References