Next Tuesday is Election Day, and thank goodness women earned the right to vote almost 100 years ago. I’m not about to pass up my opportunity to influence policy about health care, immigration, gun laws, and trade. However, apparently, that might have something to do with the fact that I’m over 40. Younger women, those aged 18-35, aren’t so interested in voting. In fact, a recent poll by Refinery 29 and CBS News found that only 30% of young women plan to vote in the midterm elections in November.
Representatives from the American Association of University Women had a voter registration table set up outside our local community college library in September. When I asked them how it was going, they told me a lot of the young ladies they reached out to either waved them off or wouldn’t make eye contact.
I was shocked. Now? At this time, with this president, women aren’t interested in voting?
It disturbed me, so I did some research. Turns out that young women are disillusioned and disinterested in politics for several reasons. Many say they are too busy, or they don’t like the candidates, or they are tired of the negativity in politics. They want to know about the good things candidates have done in positions of power, not just hear about what everyone has done wrong.
Women want better information, especially about state and local candidates, at a time when local journalism is declining and many people are getting their news via social media, which tends to cover national politics. Many young people care about politics but think they have more influence volunteering or donating to a cause or candidate, or by posting their political views on social media.
Sharing a political post might get people talking and thinking, but voting is the clearest, most influential way to make a difference in a democracy.
In this mid-term election, seats in the US Senate and the House of Representatives are up for grabs. The outcome of those races could affect the balance of power in the federal government by influencing which party has the majority in the House and the Senate. Senators confirm lifetime judicial appointments, not just to the Supreme Court, but other lower courts as well.
Politicians at the state and federal level are debating and discussing policy about health care, taxes, and trade agreements, policy that could have a direct impact on how much we pay for food and other goods as well as our access to medical care and how much we pay for it.
Then there are the issues of education, abortion, immigration, and the environment. We really can’t afford to sit out of the debate. We all need to be informed, and we all need to make our wants known by casting a vote.
I, too, get annoyed with the negativity and partisanship in political coverage. But I spend a little time each week scanning national and local sources to gather enough information about policies to understand the basics of what is going on in this country. I urge you to do the same, especially if you are a young woman or if you know one.
In her novel The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas sends an important message to readers:
“What’s the point of having a voice if you’re gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn’t be?”
Let’s not be silent. Let’s use our voice and our vote at times when it matters, and let’s encourage our fellow citizens to do the same.
Do you plan on voting on November 6? Why or why not?
Will definitely be voting!
(I also tend to bring the kids along, so they can feel encouraged to do the same when their time comes.)
I do too! (Actions can speak as loud as words!)
That’s disheartening! Yes, if anything, I would think that this would be the year to have usual non-voters be getting out there to cast a ballot. I plan to vote, for sure, and luckily I found some easy-to-process info about all of the candidates. I feel like that would help a lot of young people–they just feel uninformed and don’t want to bother to do research (which is funny, because their generation is so internet savvy). My parents have been spending full days at their polling station in Tennessee. I’m so proud of them for being involved.
Yes, it would be good if there was a an easy way for the younger generations to get some info. I like The Skimm’s No Excuses campaign. They have some stuff here, although I admit it has a bit of a liberal slant.