In the past few years, we’ve had to watch immense change happen on a federal level. Women are being persecuted and prosecuted for getting abortions since the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, the end of Affirmative Action, which has already limited opportunities for students of color, and the Willow Project having drastic effects on the environment. It’s so frustrating to sit and watch our futures be manipulated, without having any control.
But we don’t have to.
Students over 16 are eligible to register to vote, and students over 18 are able to fill out their own ballots! So then, why don’t they? According to a poll collected by Tuft’s Circle, 20% percent of voters ages 18-29 voted in the 2022 midterm election cycle.
According to “The Washington Post”, the census found that voter turnout had increased greatly, “jumping 16 percentage points since 2014 and easily surpassing any midterm election since the 1980s.” This increase in younger voters absolutely swayed the results. “The largest turnout shifts were among groups that favored Democratic congressional candidates as a whole, fueling the party’s 8.6-point victory in overall congressional support,” writes Scott Clement.
This year’s local elections will receive only a fraction of this turnout.
Why is that? These elected positions affect us on a far more direct and personal level than the presidential seat. Local politics is where the voters have the most control. However, most voters are apathetic. Many either aren’t informed about the positions and candidates, don’t know where their polling place is, or are under the dangerous impression that their vote doesn’t matter.
Every vote makes a difference. Andy Stewart won Orangetown Supervisor by 2 votes in 2013. James Foley won County Legislator by 69 votes in 2017. A single vote, your vote, could determine who is representing you and your community.
When young people show up to the polls, we make history.
On November 7, we urge students who are able to vote to elect the following positions:
Family Court Judge
Clarkstown Town Council
Village of Nyack Trustees
County Legislator