Exercise your right to vote on Nov. 5

By Kristin Avila
Staff Writer

The Nov. 5 elections are fast approaching. Just what would
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Martin Luther King Jr. think of a generation of young Americans not using their ultimate privilege -- the right to vote?

According to a report released recently by the Youth Vote Coalition (YVC), more than 43 million voters are between the ages of 18 and 30. However, of a group that totals 24 percent of the total eligible voters in the U.S., only 13 percent will actively participate in the voting process, even though the issues that are important to this group are the same issues that are important to most voters.

So what is it that keeps young America from the polls? The YVC report finds that lack of information is the No. 1 reason young people list for not participating in the electoral process, and January Clark, a 22-year-old North Lake College student, agrees.

“ I want to vote. I just don’t feel like I have all of the information. The whens, wheres and whats,” she said.

Lack of time is another key reason students give for not voting, as is the case of NLC student Nathan Risinger, 21.

“I don’t actively vote in government elections because I do not have enough time in my schedule.” he said.

Other reasons listed in the report include a lack of encouragement, and a feeling that their vote won’t matter. All of these reasons are valid points, but are they good enough reasons to repress our own voice in this democracy?

The facts remain: Government affects us all, regardless of age, race or gender, and our elected officials at the local, state and national levels make decisions every day that influence our lives and the condition of our nation as a whole. We, as the collective voice of this nation, are deciding our own fate either by voting or not, because our government operates by the consent and the guidance of its people.

For generations, voting was viewed as an obligation. It was considered as an act that took so little and produced so much, and it should remain so today. We might not always like all our choices or have opportunities to affect the way things are done overnight; however, we have the opportunity to form our own judgments and opinions and voice them through the voting process; a privilege so many around the world don’t enjoy.

On Nov. 5, we will all have the opportunity to exercise our privilege of voting. We will be electing officials to fill the seats of governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, the Texas Senate and House.

Use your voice and participate in a process that ensures we all have a chance to affect and govern our nation.

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