The 2016 presidential election is coming. I don’t think anyone is blind to that fact or to its importance. The candidates have been campaigning for years at this point, but there are still people who are unsure of who to vote for — or if they even want to vote at all.
I think it is vital to vote, especially as a college student. I am 21, so this is my first time being able to partake in a presidential election, and it is a right I and many other students took for granted for a long time.
Whether you think Trump is an idiot or Hillary is a liar doesn’t matter — you should exercise the right to vote that you have been given. There are many local and state offices and laws on the ballot for you to decide on, too. As an American citizen who will be affected by the policies the newly elected officials will enact, you should be concerned.
If you want to incite change, you have to get noticed. In order for politicians to take notice of students and our generation, we have to speak up.
In an interview with LSU President F. King Alexander, he expressed his concern with the amount of student voters.
“We would like to see more students voting locally because it will help get the politicians’ attention. They pay attention to who is voting in large numbers,”
Alexander said.
But what if you aren’t from Louisiana? Alexander has an answer for that, as well.
“This is why we have added the signatures to the student ID cards. You can register with your local address and vote here. The closest options are U High and McKinley High School on Nov. 8,” he added.
Absentee ballots are difficult to get and even more difficult to receive on time. I am from Georgia, and part of the reason I wasn’t going to vote was that I wasn’t sure I wanted to go through all the paperwork involved with
absentee ballots.
Now there is a solution provided and sponsored by the University, and I can’t think of a good reason not to take advantage of it. The only question that remains is: Who should be getting your vote?
While I won’t push my opinions on you, I will say that if you’re an “I don’t want to pick the lesser of two evils” person, get educated on all of the candidates. Who knows — you might agree with the points of a candidate or even realize your perception of someone was all wrong.
Even if you really can’t bring yourself to agree with anyone, you should still vote. There are many different acts, laws and other offices on the ballot. You can go to the Secretary of State for Louisiana’s website, sos.la.gov, for more information on who is on the ballot.
I think our generation has a skewed point of view when it comes to presidential elections, and we forget about a little thing called checks and balances. While some people stand by the assumption that the president has all the power in government, he or she technically has only one-third of federal power.
If you vote for the other people running for various offices, you’ll be able to have your opinion in all three branches of government, and that is pretty cool.
I want to live in an America that I helped create. I want to be in control of my future as much as possible, and I’d hope you do too. Catch me at the polls Nov. 8.
Myia Hambrick is a 21-year-old mass communication junior from Temple, Georgia.